From Femi Mustapha, Kaduna
The Director of Development Aid Coordination, Kaduna State Planning and Budget Commission, Aisha Mohammed, has disclosed that Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani has approved the release of a sum of $1m counterpart funds as part of the government’s commitment to the procurement of Multiple Micro-nutrients Supplement (MMS).
She said this in an interview with the media to commemorate the 10th Anniversary celebration of the Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), held in Kaduna.
According to her, State government’s commitment to MMS has been cash-backed, the only thing remaining now is the signing of the MoU.
“It was a commitment we made and the Governor has approved the release of $1m, the money is on the ground and we are just waiting for the MoU, ” she said.
Confirming the development, Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, Chinwe Ezeife, said that though the money has not been transferred to UNICEF, she’s aware that the approval has been given by the Governor.
She noted that because of the conditions of the draft MoU by UNICEF, the State Ministry of Justice is yet to conclude their study of the document.
“We are just waiting for them to conclude and the signing ceremony will happen and they will now transfer the fund.” The Nutrition Specialist said.
MMS, according to experts, is an approach to improve the quality of nutrition care for mothers and prevent low birth weight. It is a transition from Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (IFAS), expected to avert 3.6 million deaths in Nigeria, prevent the deaths of an additional 52,475 children and yield benefits that are 1,054 times greater than the costs.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), had sent letters to the State Governors of all 36 plus the FCT, informing them of the Child Nutrition Fund opportunity that will enable them to pay a counterpart fund into a basket meant for the purchase of MMS, and UNICEF will compliment by providing the lion share for the procurement.
4 states Jigawa, Katsina, Adamawa and Gombe had responded with delays by releasing the N250m, N200m, N100m, and N50m respectively.
On March 2, 2024, nutrition stakeholders made up of Journalists, UNICEF, Civil Society-scaling Up Nutrition (CS-SUNN), and members of Civil Society Organisations, rose from a meeting in Abuja, where they tasked State governments in Nigeria to respond to the opportunity provided by UNICEF.
