The Kaduna state nutrition officer, Ramatu Musa, says a total of 30,089 children across all the 23 local government areas in the state were treated for severe acute malnutrition in 2025. This was achieved via the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition services.

Ms Musa, however, said 60,193 children with SAM were admitted across the 23 LGAs in 2025

Ms Musa stated this on Tuesday in Kaduna, while presenting the state of “Nutrition in Kaduna’ at a one-day meeting with the wife of the governor and spouses of the 23 LGAs chairpersons.

The one-day meeting was organised to strengthen advocacy, leadership commitment and resource mobilisation for effective nutrition interventions at the grassroots.

Ms Musa said that Nigeria recorded a worsening malnutrition trend between 2018 and 2023–2024, with stunting rising from 37 to 40 per cent, wasting from seven to eight per cent and underweight from 22 to 27 per cent, while overweight declined from two to one per cent.

She, however, said that Kaduna, with a stunting rate of 40.7 per cent according to the 2023/2024 National Demographic and Health Survey, performed best in the North-West.

It outperformed neighbouring states, though the burden of malnutrition remained high and required sustained investment.

She explained that stunting in Kaduna declined from 48.1 to 40.7 per cent, showing progress in reducing chronic malnutrition, while wasting increased from 4.8 to 5.9 per cent and underweight rose from 22.1 to 24.7 per cent.

This, she said, indicated worsening acute malnutrition and overall deterioration in children’s nutritional status.

Ms Musa said that IMAM interventions focused on early identification through regular screening, treatment and rehabilitation of children with SAM in specialised centres, and community engagement through awareness campaigns and support groups.

She identified major challenges, including low activity of nutrition steering committees chaired by wives of local government chairmen and inadequate funding for nutrition activities at state and LGA levels.

Others were the lack of ownership and commitment to community nutrition services by some LGAs, and inadequate IMAM coverage, with only about 64 per cent of wards providing services.

She recommended strengthening LGA steering committees through enhanced technical support and regular meetings; improving leadership engagement through performance reviews and nutrition scorecards; securing dedicated state and LGA nutrition financing; and scaling up IMAM services to uncovered wards.

(NAN)