By Auwal Ahmad Umar

The intervention follows Gombe State’s N500 million nutrition contribution, matched by an equal amount through the Child Nutrition Fund.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has supplied 11,518 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to the Gombe State Government as part of efforts to tackle severe acute malnutrition among vulnerable children.

The consignment is expected to strengthen the state’s nutrition response by improving access to essential therapeutic food for children battling the life-threatening condition.

Speaking at the official handover ceremony, the Chief of UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, praised the Gombe State Government for committing N500 million as counterpart funding for nutrition interventions in 2025.

According to her, the state’s contribution was matched with an additional N500 million through the Child Nutrition Fund, providing resources for the procurement of critical nutrition supplies.

Rafique explained that the donated RUTF contained millions of sachets designed to support the recovery of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

She emphasised the need for proper distribution and monitoring to ensure the supplies reach the children for whom they were intended.

The UNICEF official also urged community-based organisations, including Mama2Mama and Fathers for Good Health, to step up public awareness about the appropriate use of RUTF.

She warned that the therapeutic food was specifically formulated for children with severe acute malnutrition and should not be treated as ordinary food.

Rafique further stressed that children undergoing treatment must complete their prescribed course, urging parents and caregivers to follow the guidance of health workers to achieve the best possible outcomes.

She commended the state government for establishing a committee to prevent the diversion, abuse and misuse of aid supplies, while calling for stronger accountability and monitoring systems to safeguard the donated products.

The Gombe State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Professor Bertha Abdu, expressed appreciation to UNICEF for its continued support, particularly in programmes designed to improve the welfare of women and children.

She noted that proper nutrition was essential to children’s healthy growth, warning that nutritional deficiencies could have lasting consequences for their physical development and overall wellbeing.

Similarly, the Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Habu Dahiru, said raising children who are physically healthy and mentally fit was crucial to the state’s long-term development.

Dahiru highlighted the importance of RUTF in treating severe acute malnutrition and disclosed that the state government was complementing UNICEF’s efforts through the local production of nutrient-rich food.

He said the ministry had increased production of its locally developed nutritious food and was working with the North-East Development Commission to expand the production facility.

According to him, the expansion is intended to increase production capacity and enable the facility to meet nutritional needs in Gombe and neighbouring states.

The commissioner expressed the ministry’s willingness to deepen collaboration with UNICEF and other development partners to expand the initiative, particularly to support efforts to address moderate malnutrition.

He also assured that the government would closely supervise the distribution of the donated RUTF to prevent diversion and ensure that eligible children receive the treatment.

The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Micah Sunday, described UNICEF as a strategic development partner whose interventions have continued to support the state government’s efforts to improve children’s welfare and development.

Sunday stressed that tackling malnutrition goes beyond improving children’s physical health, explaining that adequate nutrition also plays a vital role in brain development, learning and general wellbeing.

He added that improving children’s nutritional status would help them grow into healthier, better-educated and more productive members of society.

The latest delivery is expected to boost Gombe State’s efforts to combat severe acute malnutrition and expand access to life-saving nutritional treatment for vulnerable children.

The intervention also underscores the importance of sustained government investment, partnerships with development organisations and transparent distribution systems in addressing child malnutrition across the state.