Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has received international commendation and a £10 million pledge from the European Union for his leadership in combating malnutrition in northwest Nigeria.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohamed Malick Fall, praised Governor Radda on Thursday at the High-Level Conference on Mobilising Against Malnutrition held in Abuja.
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“Thank you, Governor Radda, for convening us today. Your leadership is key. You unlock financing, ensure accountability, and drive action,” Mr Fall said.
The UN coordinator disclosed that over three million Nigerian children under five suffer from severe acute malnutrition, with two million still awaiting life-saving support.
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He revealed that the UN and partners have reached one million children with treatment but warned that every delay steals a child’s future.
Mr Fall urged governors across the northwest to release funds, mobilise teams, and support staff in stabilisation centres, stressing that solutions are available and Nigeria already produces nutrition commodities.
Similarly, the EU pledged £10 million and promised to coordinate additional donations from the World Bank, World Food Programme, and international NGOs for Katsina and the entire northwest region.
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Recall, in his opening remarks, Mr Radda acknowledged the malnutrition crisis and outlined the state’s comprehensive response, including agricultural revolutions for food security and anti-banditry operations to secure communities.
“We have accepted there is a malnutrition crisis, and all efforts are towards addressing the menace head-on,” the governor stated.
The Executive Secretary of Katsina Development Management Board, Mustapha Shehu, described the conference as a giant step towards holistic partnership in tackling malnutrition.
He noted that organisations made concrete commitments to support the state in food security, nutrition treatment, and health interventions.
In her closing remark, the Director-General of the Northwest Governors Forum, Maryam Yahaya, presented stark statistics from the 2024 Northwest Nutrition Survey, revealing that 16.6 per cent of children under five in Sokoto State suffer acute malnutrition, 11.6 per cent in Katsina, and 10.4 per cent in Zamfara.
She disclosed that 2.8 million children across the region need urgent nutrition support, representing a 40 per cent increase in two years.
“In Katsina, half of all children are stunted—too short for their age, too undernourished to learn, too weak to thrive,” she said.
The forum committed to rolling out the Northwest Nutrition Roadmap 2025–2028, a joint plan coordinating states, partners, and data under one framework.
The conference was jointly organised by Katsina State Government and Médecins Sans Frontières, with support from the European Union, UNICEF Nigeria, and development partners.
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