50% of childhood deaths in Nigeria linked to malnutrition, says UNICEF
By Tada Jutha, Maiduguri
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said 50 percent of deaths among children are associated with malnutrition and stunted growth among them in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.
According to the UN agency, child mortality is fueled by the massive diversion, abuse, and sale of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) or nutrition commodities.
The alarm was raised on Tuesday, in Maiduguri, by the Chief of the UNICEF Maiduguri Field Office, Joseph Senesie, during a stakeholders’ meeting on the misuse of RUTF life-saving products in the region.
He said that denials of nutrition commodities through diversion, abuse, and sale could lead to more deaths among the children in the conflict-affected states in the Northeast and Northwest.
Senesie further warned that the diversion and sale of nutrition commodities could also compound the humanitarian crisis in the two regions.
Director of the Community and Family Health Service (CFHS), Dr. Mala Abdulwahab, said the RUTF products are to be distributed free of charge to lactating mothers, pregnant women and girls, and children, warning that, “The nutrition commodities being distributed by UNICEF and other partners are not to be sold in the markets for profits.”
The 2025 RUTF audit report indicated that a sachet of nutrition commodity is sold in the markets at N100-N500 instead of the UNICEF unit price of N666.
The report further revealed that the UN agency procured 200,000 cartons of RUTF at N3 billion, while each carton of the nutrition products is sold in the markets at N45,000 to N55,000 in Borno State.
The World Food Programme (WFP) policy officer, Dr. Ifuk-Ibot John Ala, lamented that the diversion and abuse of nutrition commodities is a disgrace to the country, stating that “We can work collectively in preventing the massive theft, diversion, and abuse of RUTF products in the conflict-affected states in the North.
A representative of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) facility in Maiduguri also suggested the enacting of a law against the theft, diversion, and sale of RUTF products in the country.
The Borno State Primary Health Care Board (BSPHCB) should monitor the distribution of the RUFT products in the 27 local government areas.
“In its contribution to curbing the abuse of nutrition commodities, NAFDAC stated that all RUTF products must bear an inscription: “Not for Sale” to prevent their sale in markets.
