Children shouldn’t die from hunger

The recent disclosure that at least 469 children have died from malnutrition in Kano State between January and July 2025 has, once again, raised the issue of how governments have failed in meeting their constitutional responsibility of ensuring the welfare of their citizens.

Professor Ruqayya Aliyu Yusuf of the Department of Information and Media Studies, Bayero University, Kano (BUK), disclosed this at media sensitisation training in Kano, adding that 51.9 per cent of children are stunted.

A crop scientist, Amina Ado Yahaya, said Kano had the highest underweight prevalence in children under 5, with 42.6 per cent, a situation that demanded localised homestead vegetable gardening to improve nutrition.

Unfortunately, this situation did not start just one year ago. In October 2025, the Country Director of Save the Children International (SCI), Duncan Harvey, quoted a report which indicated that 600,000 children under the age of five will be at risk of severe acute malnutrition in six states including Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara from October to December 2025.

Also, the global medical aid group of French origin, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, raised an alarm on the high level of malnutrition among children in the north-western region of Nigeria.

High rates of malnutrition, as noted by UNICEF, pose significant public health and development challenges for the country. “Stunting, in addition to an increased risk of death, is also linked to poor cognitive development, lowered performance in education, and low productivity in adulthood.”

The MSF, working in collaboration with the Nigerian health authorities, said between January and September 2025, it has treated 294,000 children for malnutrition across seven northern states — a 43 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024.

In its report, the MSF said: “By the end of June 2025, nearly 70,000 malnourished children had already received medical care from our teams in Katsina State, including nearly 10,000 who were hospitalised in serious condition. This represents an increase of approximately one-third compared to last year (2024). In addition, between January and June 2025, the number of malnourished children with nutritional oedema, the most severe and deadly form of malnutrition, rose by 208 per cent compared with the same period in 2024. Unfortunately, 652 children have already died in our facilities since the beginning of 2025 due to a lack of timely access to care.”

The issue of malnutrition is one that has been on for a long time, especially in the northern part of the country. Sadly, not much is done or even heard about it until the international communities issue statements or results of research carried out on the issue. We, therefore, commend the MSF and the UN for their efforts. But this is not something that should be left to humanitarian organisations alone. State governors must formulate a response plan to the crisis, and this must be done urgently.

It is also sad that this issue is more prevalent among the children in the northern states. This is despite the large arable land available which can grow any type of food required for the development of our children. This prevalence can only be attributed to two major factors poverty and insecurity. Many parents have either been displaced or are unable to till their farms due to rising activities of bandits. Children struggle to find something to eat, while mothers do not have adequate food to generate milk to breastfeed their babies.

The governors of the seven states of the North-West should, in collaboration with the federal government, ensure security of lives and property in their region so that the people, who are predominantly farmers, can go back to their farmlands and be able to get the food to eat and even increase their earnings, which, in turn, will reduce poverty.

They should also come up with ways through which this fast-rising epidemic will be reduced to a minimal level, if not totally eradicated. More partnership and support should be encouraged with groups and organisations. The state governments should also seek the support of traditional rulers in the area of enlightenment of the citizens so that mothers and fathers can be educated about the need to breastfeed infants, while adequate support should be given to such mothers. Nutritionists can also assist by teaching mothers how to prepare simple food that is rich in nutrients.

Daily Trust welcomes the decision by the Katsina State government to establish a local factory for the production of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and employ more than 2,300 health workers as part of a comprehensive strategy to combat child malnutrition across the state. We urge other governors to emulate it.

We also urge individuals and corporate organisations to join the fight against the total eradication of malnutrition. It is indeed a shame for Nigeria to still be allowing its children to die from malnutrition.

Nigerians can now invest ₦2.5 million on premium domains and profit about ₦17-₦25 million. All earnings paid in US Dollars. Rather than wonder, click here to find out how it works.

Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.