By NICHOLAS DECHI

The Civil Society—Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has called for urgent and sustained investment in nutrition to save the lives of Benue children.

The appeal was made by the Executive Secretary of CS-SUNN, Mr Sunday Okoronkwo, during a press briefing and media roundtable held on Friday in Makurdi.

He described malnutrition as a critical public health and development challenge in Benue, a state widely known as the “Food Basket of the Nation”.

“In spite of its vast agricultural potential, the state continues to record troubling indicators of child malnutrition and widespread household food insecurity.

“Recent data presented at the forum showed that 25.3 per cent of children in the state are stunted, 6.7 per cent suffer from wasting, and 13.6 per cent are underweight,” he said.

According to him, these conditions threaten child survival, weaken learning outcomes, and reduce future workforce productivity.

Okoronkwo stressed that investing in nutrition was not merely a social intervention but a strategic economic decision.

He noted that global and national evidence consistently demonstrated that malnutrition eroded human capital and suppressed lifetime earnings.

Okoronkwo said that emphasis was placed on the first 1,000 days of life from conception to a child’s second birthday, and such was a critical window for intervention.

He said that investments in maternal, infant and young child nutrition during the period were said to yield high returns in improved health, cognitive development and long-term productivity.

The CS-SUNN boss disclosed that, with support from the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), it was implementing the project titled “Increased Investment in Nutrition to Scale Up Quality Nutrition Services” in Benue.

He said that the initiative aimed to strengthen financing and scale up quality nutrition services across the state.

Okoronkwo said that among its advocacy priorities, CS-SUNN was pushing for sustainable domestic financing for nutrition, including leveraging innovative funding mechanisms such as the Child Nutrition Fund.

He also called for timely release and efficient use of budgeted nutrition funds and increased nutrition allocations across key sectors, including health, agriculture, education, water and sanitation, and social protection.

Okoronkwo also advocated for extending paid maternity leave from three to six months in the public sector to promote exclusive breastfeeding and improve child survival. (NAN)