The Civil Society -Scaling Up Nutrition, in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) said Kaduna, Kano, Nassarawa, Lagos, and Niger States have received upward review of the Nutrition Budget as it advocated for increase funding across the project States.
The Chairman Board of Trustees CS-SUNN, Dr. Bamidele Omotola asserted during the rounding up of the Partnership for Improving the Nigeria Nutrition System (PINNS) project.
Giving credence to this, the past Executive Secretary of CS-SUNN, Beatrice Eluaka said Kaduna state in 2017-2021Nutrion the Budget increased by 32% to about N68 billion and actual disbursements increased from 10% to 61% of allocations in 2019.
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She added that Nasarawa State in the period under review has its Nutrition Budget increased by over 100% to about N440 million and actual disbursements increased from 32.8% to 57.6% of allocations in 2020.
“Kano State: Nutrition Budget increased by over 80% to about N1,000,500,000 and actual disbursements increased from 44% to 75% of allocations in 2019.
“Niger State: Nutrition, Budget increased by 74% to about N399, 897,732 and actual disbursements increased from 0% to 37% of allocations in 2020.
“Lagos state for the first time created budget lines in nine nutrition line MDAs (Health, Economic Planning, and Budget, Women Affairs, Youth and Social Development, Environment, Agriculture, Education, SUBEB, Local Government and Community Affairs) with a total allocation of one hundred and eighty-three million Naira (N183,000,000) in 2020.” She said.
Beatrice Eluaka added When she came on board these States’ Committees on Food and Nutrition were moribund, so to speak because they were not clear on their roles and responsibilities and so when we came on board, that was one of the first things we did to get members to recognize their roles and responsibilities.
In his remarks, a Director with the Ministry of Planning and Budget Kano state, Muktar Yakasai, said, “CS-SUNN enhanced capacity to be able to develop the Kano Food and Nutrition policy because before they came to Kano, we did not have that policy on the ground. But with the presence of CS-SUNN, we have been able to draft the policy, and Kano state has developed a multisectoral plan of action for nutrition which gives a clear direction and strategy for implementation of interventions in our line MDAs, that policy has been approved so we appreciate CS-SUNN”.
Similarly, Kaduna State, Director Aid Corporation, Ministry of Budget and Planning, Salisu Baba Lawal, said, “Our policy was developed in 2017 but it was not printed. CS-SUNN supported the state to develop the multi-sectoral plan.
“They supported us to print these two documents. They supported the states to launch these documents. We express our deep appreciation to CS-SUNN for this support. It will go a long way to improve implementation of nutrition strategies in Kaduna state”.
Also speaking, the State Nutrition Officer for Niger State, Mohammed Asmau, said “the coming of the PINNS project to Niger state introduced enormous changes that have led to improved discussions around nutrition.
She explained that before the project, Niger state had about 13 qualified nutrition officers to cater for nutrition-related health challenges of the state’s entire population, but the coming of PINNS has helped in increasing the number to over 30, with mechanisms already put in place to have a nutrition officer in every Primary Health Facility by 2023.
