Rising food, fuel costs driving child malnutrition, says Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned Nigeria's worsening child malnutrition crisis, attributing it to rising food, transportation, and energy costs. Atiku warns that economic hardship is making it harder for families to provide adequate nutrition for their children. According to recent figures, 41.1% of Nigerian children under five are stunted, with 58.2% in the North-West region.

The situation is dire, with nearly two million Nigerian children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, and only about two in every ten receiving treatment. Atiku emphasizes that the impact of rising costs is felt directly by families, as they struggle to decide what, how much, and how often to feed their children. He argues that high energy and transportation costs affect the cost of moving agricultural produce, running small businesses, and transporting goods to markets.

Atiku proposes a production subsidy in the petroleum sector to address these cost pressures, focusing on supporting domestic production rather than subsidizing imported petrol. He advocates for investing in the treatment of severely malnourished children and strengthening maternal and child nutrition programs.