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Malnutrition cases surge 100% in N.East, children are dying – MSF warns
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders,has warned of devastating surge in severe malnutrition cases among children in northern Nigeria.
This is contained in a statement in Dutse on Wednesday, by Abdulkareem Yakubu, MSF’s Field Communication Officer.
Dr Simba Tirima, MSF’s Country Representative in Nigeria said:”in recent weeks, the MSF inpatient facilities in northern Nigeria have recorded an extraordinary increase in admissions of severely malnourished children with life-threatening complications, exceeding last year’s figures by over 100 per cent in some locations”.
He explained that for the MSF teams, this is an alarming indication of a premature peak of the lean season and the increase in acute malnutrition that accompanies it, typically anticipated in July.
“We are resorting to treating patients on mattresses on the floor because our facilities are full. Children are dying.
”I immediate action is not taken, more lives hang in the balance. Everyone needs to step in to save lives and allow the children of northern Nigeria to grow free from malnutrition and its disastrous long-term, if not fatal, consequences,” Tirima said.
The MSF said humanitarian assistance must be urgently scaled up.
Tirima called upon the Nigerian authorities, international organisations and donors to take immediate action to diagnose and treat malnourished children to prevent associated complications and deaths, but also to engage in sustained, long-term initiatives to mitigate the underlying causes of this urgent problem.
“We’ve been warning about the worsening malnutrition crisis for the last two years. 2022 and 2023 were already critical, but an even grimmer picture is unfolding in 2024. We can’t keep repeating these catastrophic scenarios year after year.
”What will it take to make everyone take notice and act?,” Tirima said.
According to him, in April 2024, MSF’s medical team in Maiduguri, Borno, admitted 1,250 severely malnourished children with complications to the inpatient therapeutic feeding centre, doubling the figure for April 2023.
“Forced to urgently scale up capacity, by the end of May, the centre accommodated 350 patients, far surpassing the 200 beds initially designated for the peak malnutrition season in July and August.
“Also in the northeast, the MSF-operated facility in Bauchi state’s Kafin Madaki hospital recorded a significant 188 per cent increase in admissions of severely malnourished children during the first three months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
“In the northwestern part of the region, in Zamfara, the inpatient centres in Shinkafi and Zurmi have received up to 30 per cent more monthly admissions in April compared to March.
”Talata Mafara’s facility saw about 20 per cent increase in the same period. Similarly, MSF inpatient facilities in major cities like Kano and Sokoto are also reporting alarming surges, by 75 and 100 per cent respectively.
“The therapeutic feeding centre in Kebbi state also documented a rise of more than 20 per cent in inpatient admissions from March to April,” Yakubu decried.
According to him, inspite of the alarming situation, the overall humanitarian response remains inadequate, adding that other non-profit organisations active in the north are also overwhelmed.
He recalled that the United Nations and Nigerian authorities issued an urgent appeal in May for 306.4 million dollars to address the pressing nutritional needs in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.
Yet this, he said, will be insufficient, ignoring as it does other parts of northern Nigeria where needs also outweigh the current capacity of the organisations to respond sufficiently.
He added that the catastrophic nutritional situation seen in recent years in the region calls for a bigger response.
According to the MSF, persistently excluded from the formal humanitarian response, reductions in the already limited funding available for the northwest have also dangerously affected the provision of crucial therapeutic and supplementary food.
He added that the supplies were completely unavailable in Zamfara for the first four months of this year and are now only available in lower quantities.
This reduction has meant that it is only possible to provide treatment for more severe malnutrition cases,ncompromising an effective response that also addresses malnutrition earlier in its progression and avoids exposing children to a higher risk of mortality.
“We are alarmed by the reduction in aid at these critical times. Reducing nutritional support to only severely malnourished children is akin to waiting for a child to become gravely ill before providing care.
”We urge donors and authorities to increase support urgently for both curative and preventive approaches, ensuring that all malnourished children receive the care they desperately need,” Tirima was quoted as saying. (NAN)
The suspects were apprehended for selling prohibited exotic birds and wild animals contrary to the provisions of the Endangered Species Act.
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), in collaboration with the National Park Service, has arrested three persons over alleged illegal trade in endangered wildlife species in Abuja.
This was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by NESREA’s Assistant Director of Press, Nwamaka Ejiofor.
The suspects, identified as Musa Usman, Samila Abdullahi, and Saidu Jagaban, were arrested in different parts of the country’s capital.
According to her, the suspects were apprehended for selling prohibited exotic birds and wild animals, contrary to the provisions of the Endangered Species Act.
She stated that Usman and Abdullahi were found with 15 Senegalese parrots and one African grey parrot, while Jagaban was arrested for hawking three dead antelopes.
“The suspects were arrested in different parts of the city for the illegal sale of prohibited exotic birds and wild animals, contrary to the provisions of the Endangered Species Act,” the statement read in part.
“The trio is to remain in custody while investigation continues.”
NESREA Director-General, Innocent Barikor, reiterated that trafficking in endangered species remained a crime under Nigerian laws, and anyone caught culpable would be prosecuted accordingly.
Barikor emphasised on the need to protect endangered species, under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), to which Nigeria is a signatory.
He added that all living things play different roles in ensuring biodiversity sustainability.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday warned against the creation of a one-party state, saying any nation that must practice it must do so carefully and with a well-planned process and projected outcome.
He stated this in Abuja while paying tribute to the late elder statesman, Edwin Clark, at a memorial lecture and day of tribute.
Jonathan warned that any attempt to bring about a one-party state through political machinations to soothe only personal aspirations will be detrimental to the country.
The former president also called on the family of the late former federal commissioner to, among other things, set up a yearly memorial lecture in his honour to continue to push his ideas and what he stood for, which is a united, equitable, and prosperous Nigeria.
On his part, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, lamented that the labour of our heroes past was already in vain.
The former Anambra State governor highlighted the endemic poverty in rural areas, the state of insecurity, and the rising cost of living.
He maintained that the labour of people like Pa Edwin Clark had not paid off, as the sacrifices people like Pa Clark made were in vain today.
The chairman on the occasion and former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, said that the task of ensuring that Nigeria remains united and indivisible must be ensured by all, as the nation could only make progress if national interest was put before any personal interest.
Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, says media, as gatekeepers and partners in nation-building, have a crucial role to play in supporting our military’s morale by highlighting their successes and sacrifices
The minister noted the critical role of the media in shaping public perception, adding that terrorists and criminal groups often use these avenues to spread fear, propagate disinformation, and recruit followers.
He urged journalists and editors to adopt a responsible and patriotic approach to reporting these issues, by avoiding sensational headlines and refusing to serve as amplifiers of terror propaganda.
Idris stated this on Wednesday at the ministerial press briefing held at the National Press Centre in Abuja.
“The media, as gatekeepers and partners in nation-building, have a crucial role to play in supporting our military’s morale by highlighting their successes and sacrifices,” Idris said.
“We must deny these groups the undue publicity they crave. We must take them off the front pages and accurately report them as the criminals they are, without glorifying their acts or giving credence to their false narratives.
“These are not freedom fighters; they are murderers, kidnappers, and destroyers, and they must be presented as such.”
The minister also noted that federal government is “actively” investing in military capacity through the acquisition of modern equipment, enhanced intelligence, and strategic partnerships.
Idris said the press briefing series is a forum that allows ministers to update Nigerians on the key achievements, ongoing initiatives, and policy directions of their various ministries.
He commended the media for their continued support and their broader role in promoting public awareness of government initiatives.
“Through this interactive platform, which is being broadcast live on national television stations and streamed across social media platforms, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to transparency, accountability, and public engagement,” he added.