Atika Balal
9 October 2008
An 18 member Committee on Food and Nutrition in the FCT was on Tuesday launched by the FCT Administration (FCTA) to find a solution to the scourge of malnutrition in the country.
At the inauguration ceremony, the Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat, Dr. Abubakar Ali Gombe, said issues bordering on child survival and especially nutritio, have taken centre stage worldwide.
"Malnutrition has been identified as a major constraint to development and a consequence of poverty and lack of basic nutrition and education."
He said the proportion of households and individuals that are malnourished has been on the increase in Nigeria and most of those affected are women, children and the aged.
"The close relationship between malnutrition and under development has continued to be emphasised, particularly at the various international summits aimed at improving the welfare of women and children. An important conclusion that emerged from the 1992 International Conference on Nutrition held in Rome was that nutritional well-being of all people is a pre-condition for development and a key objective of progress in human development."
He said that more than ever before, the problem of hunger and malnutrition has become severe as the estimated percentage has risen over the years.
"The percentage of Nigerian households that are food insecure has risen from 18% in 1968 to 40% in 1998 and over 70% in 2003. Thus the establishment ofthe government came up with a policy to address the situation."
Some of the major objectives include establishing a viable system for guiding and coordinating food and nutrition activities undertaken in the various sectors and at all levels of the society, from the community to the national level and ensuring that nutrition is recognised and used as an important indicator to monitor and evaluate development policies and programmes.
The committee is expected to improve food security at the household and aggregate levels to guarantee that families have access to safe and adequate food to meet nutritional requirements for a healthy and active life.
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