Report of 96,000 malnourished children at death risk in 6 northern states raises concern

A recent study by an international nongovernmental, not-for-profit organisation, Save the Children International, that over 96,000 children risk death before the end of this year in six northern states due to malnutrition, has again brought to the fore the failure of governments at all levels to provide for its citizens and it is a big source of concern for the citizens.

The organization, alongside other partners, including PLAN, Action Against Hunger in Nigeria and OXFAM among others, has predicted a devastating public health crisis for six states in northern Nigeria, namely, Adamawa, Borno, Katsina, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara, before the end of 2025, as a result of malnutrition.

The organization, at a press conference in Abuja, drew attention to the growing cases of acute malnutrition in the six states, stressing that the situation could be catastrophic in a few months’ time if urgent steps were not taken by the affected states to correct the situation.

The Country Director of the organisation, Duncan Harvey, specifically told journalists at the event that without urgent access to lifesaving treatment, the states could lose 96, 000 children to death between October and December, 2025, due to acute malnutrition.

The urgency of the situation is that going by the released figure; it means that over 1, 000 children would be dying every day.

It’s predicted that from October to December 2025, an estimated 600,000 children under the age of five will be at risk of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in the six northern states. Over 800,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are also at the risk of acute malnutrition in these states.

“It is for situation such as this that the African Union Heads of State and Government in 2010, at its 15th Ordinary Session in Kampala, Uganda, in a bid to address the persistent crisis of hunger and malnutrition on the continent, declared October 30 every year as Africa Food Security and Nutrition Day.

“Hunger is not just a risk; it’s a crisis of rights. Food security and nutrition must be treated as non-negotiable for child survival, growth and future productivity. No child should die from any preventable cause such as hunger, malnutrition or illness.”