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UNICEF procures Lipid-based food supplements to boost nutrition for Gombe children

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By Samuel Luka, Bauchi

Gombe state has been provided with 3,645 Cartons of Small Quantity Lipid Based Supplement worth N337,193,748.60‬ by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) to fight child malnutrition.

Dr. Tushar Rane, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Nigeria, Bauchi Field Office made this known at the Dissemination of Gombe State Nutrition Policy and Costed Multisectoral Food and Nutrition Strategic Plan of Action held at the International Hotel, Gombe on Tuesday.

He disclosed that children in Gombe State are experiencing chronic food poverty as about 30.7 percent of newborns are exclusively breastfed; only 22.5 percent of children aged 6 to 23 months receive a minimum acceptable diet and only 8.4% receive minimum dietary diversity.

According to the UNICEF, more than 50% of women and children are anemic based on the statistics available in the 2021 MICS.

Dr. Tushar Rane who was represented by Nutrition Specialist, Philomena Irene, said that, UNICEF had envisaged that the effective implementation of this policy can contribute to alleviating these nutrition gaps in the state.

“At UNICEF, we delightfully supported the development of this policy from the scratch. We have mobilized financial and technical support in terms of providing data on nutrition indices and support the costing of the policy”, Dr. Rane said.

He added that “UNICEF facilitated the engagement of external experts and its own technical experts, whose synergy with the state’s technical team ensured the birthing of this policy and costed multisectoral plan of action.”

The UNICEF Chief of Field Office added that, “we hope that it strengthens multisectoral nutrition governance and coordination at all levels while ensuring accountability.”

Dr Rane informed that, “UNICEF has procured 3,645 Cartons of Small Quantity Lipid Based Supplement worth the sum of N337,193,748.60‬ to enhance the diet of children 6 to 23 months”.

“This support has been made possible with thanks to the generous contribution of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).” He added.

Tushar Rane stressed that Nutrition is a multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary issue involving various sectors including health, agriculture, science and technology, education, Social Protection, Water and Sanitation thereby improving Economic Growth.

“The Food and Nutrition Policy we are launching today will guide Gombe State to address the hinderance to food and nutrition security from individual, household, community, local government to state levels”, Dr Rane further explained.

He said that the initiative steers the identification, design, and implementation of intervention activities across relevant sectors.

“The Costed Multisectoral Strategic Plan will promote diets, services and practices that support optimal nutrition, growth and development for all children, adolescents, and women.” He said

Tushar Rane pointed out that the strategic plan estimates that the interventions across the state would require a public investment of ₦11,169,423,741.16 with an average annual public investment cost estimated of ₦2,035,892,400.00 over the next four years (2023-2027).

He said “it is noteworthy and commendable that Gombe state contributed N50 million as counterpart contribution for the Child Nutrition Fund to address all forms of Malnutrition particularly Wasting, Anaemia and Stunting”.

According to him, “The Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) is a new financing mechanism designed to accelerate the scale-up of sustainable policies, programmes and supplies to end child wasting. The minimum contribution for the CNF is N100 million.”

He further noted that about half of child mortality is attributable to malnutrition, thus, good nutrition plays a leading role in averting deaths of children.

“Ensuring proper nutrition of children requires a life-cycle approach whereby adequate Nutrition commences from conception to newborn until the baby grows into an adolescent and then an adult.” Dr Rane informed.

He also stressed that,”The first 1000 days of life – between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday – is a unique period of opportunity when the foundations for optimum health and development across the lifespan are established.”

According to him, “The right nutrition and care during the 1000-day window influences not only whether the child will survive, but also his or her ability to grow, learn and rise out of poverty. As such, it contributes to society’s long-term health, stability, and prosperity.”

Tushar Rane assured that Investing in the early years is one of the smartest investments a state can make to break the cycle of poverty, address inequality, and boost productivity later in life.

He regretted that millions of young children are not reaching their full potential because of inadequate nutrition, hoping that the new policy will provide an overarching framework, covering the multiple dimensions of food and nutrition improvement, with the special focus on nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions.

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Gov Alex Otti visits Nnamdi Kanu in Sokoto prison

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Alex Otti, the Abia State Governor, on Sunday paid a visit to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.

The governor was accompanied by officials of the Sokoto State Government during the closed-door visit.

Nnamdi Kanu was recently moved to Sokoto after he was convicted on terrorism-related charges and handed a life sentence by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Governor Otti had earlier promised to pursue every lawful and political avenue to ensure that Kanu gets justice. Sunday’s visit is seen as part of ongoing efforts by the Abia State Government regarding his case.

Details of the meeting were not made public as of the time of this report.

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Terrorists abduct bride, bridesmaids in Sokoto attack

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Armed terrorists have abducted a bride-to-be, her bridesmaid, and eight other residents from Chacho village in Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State

The Sokoto abduction occurred around 1:30 a.m., according to residents, when the attackers stormed the village. Most of the victims were women, with only one man also taken.
One resident sustained injuries and is receiving medical treatment. Villagers told reporters that the bride was preparing for her wedding scheduled for later that morning when the raid struck, plunging the community into shock and mourning.

A community member described the attack as “tragic,” noting the delay in security response. “Security operatives were alerted immediately, but they only arrived about an hour after the bandits had fled,” he said, expressing frustration.

 

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Dangote Refinery to supply 1.5bn litres of petrol monthly

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….Writes NMDPRA, Engages Marketers to Stabilise Fuel Market

Photo caption: L R: Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Fertiliser Limited, Vishwajit Sinha; Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Dangote Petroleum Refinery, David Bird; President and Chief Executive, Dangote Industries Ltd, Aliko Dangote; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, South South Development Commission, Usoro Akpabio, during the visit of SSDC members to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Fertiliser Plant in Lagos on Sunday, November 30, 2025.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced plans to supply one billion five hundred million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) monthly to the Nigerian market in December 2025 and January 2026, a move aimed at ensuring uninterrupted nationwide fuel availability through the festive season and into the New Year.

President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, disclosed the plans at the weekend, noting that the refinery will make available 50 million litres of PMS daily beginning December 1.

“In line with our commitment to national wellbeing, and consistent with our track record of ensuring a holiday season free of fuel scarcity, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery will supply 1.5 billion litres of PMS to the Nigerian market this month. This represents 50 million litres per day. We are formally notifying the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) of this commitment. We will supply another 1.5 billion litres in January and increase to 1.7 billion litres in February, which translates to about 60 million litres per day,” Dangote said.

Photo caption: L R: President and Chief Executive, Dangote Industries Ltd, Aliko Dangote; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, South South Development Commission, Usoro Akpabio, during the visit of SSDC members to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Fertiliser Plant in Lagos on Sunday, November 30, 2025.

Speaking during a visit by the South-South Development Commission (SSDC) to the refinery and the Dangote Fertiliser complex, he stated that the facility currently has adequate stock and is producing between 40 and 45 million litres of PMS daily. He added that the daily supply of 50 million litres should dispel long-standing claims that domestic refineries lack the capacity to meet national demand.

Dangote also revealed ongoing engagement with petroleum marketers to strengthen distribution systems, including expanding the use of CNG-powered haulage.

“Our priority is to ensure Nigeria receives the products it needs. This is not driven by profit motives; it is about guaranteeing the availability of essential energy products. It is similar to the transformation we delivered in the cement sector,” he added.

He further noted that the refinery is progressing with its expansion plan to reach a capacity of 1.4 million barrels per day. More than 100,000 workers are expected to be involved in the expansion of both the refinery and the fertiliser complex. Dangote emphasised that the Group remains committed to its vision, driven by the strong public support for the company’s role in shaping Nigeria’s economic development.

During the visit, the Managing Director of SSDC, Usoro Offiong Akpabio, commended Dangote’s leadership and his continued contribution to strengthening Nigeria’s industrial capability, national energy security and long-term economic competitiveness.

She described the South-South region as Nigeria’s natural energy corridor, with vast crude oil reserves, gas infrastructure, maritime assets, agro-industrial activity and emerging industrial clusters. She noted that deeper collaboration between the region and the Dangote Group could unlock opportunities in product distribution, CNG infrastructure, petrochemicals, agriculture, and employment creation.

Akpabio added that such partnerships would advance the Federal Government’s energy stability agenda and position the South-South as a strategic growth hub for the Dangote Group.

“As the statutory development body for the South-South, SSDC is mandated to drive regional economic development, infrastructure integration, human capital advancement, and private-sector–led growth. In this regard, we stand prepared to support State-level policy and regulatory support for Ease-of-doing-business across our six states. Enabling environments for Dangote Group’s expansion into strategic sectors such as gas processing, agro-industrial value chains, renewable energy, logistics, and export-oriented manufacturing,” she said.

In a letter from the refinery’s Managing Director, David Bird, to the Authority Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, the company reaffirmed its readiness to host NMDPRA officials onsite at the refinery from December 1st to verify and publish its daily supply volumes. The refinery also sought the Authority’s support to ensure unhindered importation of crude, feedstocks and blending components, as well as smooth vessel loading for product evacuation.

“In the spirit of full transparency to the public we are willing to publish our daily production and stock volumes (online and print media),” Bird stated. “We seek the full support of NMDPRA to allow Dangote refinery to import our crude, feedstocks and blending components unhindered as well as support the lifting of our products by vessel. We continue to experience delays in vessel clearance which impacts not only the refinery operations but also our customers, adding unnecessary costs and inefficiencies”.

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