The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Catholic bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, have called for new policies to tackle malnutrition, boost the well-being of pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers and children in the country.
They made the call on Friday in Abuja at separate stakeholders’ meetings organised by the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development (SFPD); and The Kukah Centre (TKC), in partnership with Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) Project of the World Bank.
The two-day separate high-level dialogue sessions were held with influential faith leaders of both Christianity and Islam to address the critical issue of malnutrition in Nigeria, with the theme, ‘Faith Influencers Leading the Way: Transforming Nutrition for a Healthier Nigeria’.
The Senior Programme Officer of Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development (SFPD), Mallam Haruna Yusuf Aliyu, said it is important for Nigerians to be committed to collaboratively improve nutrition outcomes in Nigeria.
He said that over 120 participants of both male and female influential Muslim faith leaders across different states and religious organizations attended the SFPD sessions.
“The objectives of the meeting were to raise awareness on nutrition challenges; empower faith leaders with knowledge, and equip them with evidence-based information and resources on nutrition so they can advocate for healthier dietary practices and food choices within their communities; bridge faith and health initiatives and promote collaborative action between faith-based organizations, government bodies, and health organizations to create a concerted effort toward addressing malnutrition in Nigeria.
“Faith leaders demand governments to create a policy to improve the nutrition of citizens especially pregnant mothers, adolescents and children for healthy families and communities; faith leaders commit to advocate for policies for the inclusion of health and nutrition messaging in AJAMI through Tsangaya teachers to reach local communities; mosques and scholarly majalis will from time and as need arise invite health professionals to deliver talks on nutrition during pre-khutba at sermons and pre-lecture at majalis.
“Faith leaders commit to dispel rumors and misinformation regarding the health benefits of giving Zamzam water to newborns should be well clarified with accurate scriptural information; and actively involve Alarammas and Malaman Zaure by providing them with Islamic texts and incorporating relevant quotes from Usman Danfodio, Muhammad Danfodio, and Abdullahi Fodio to secure their support, among others,” Aliyu said.
At The Kukah Centre (TKC), Rev. Fr. Atta Barkindo, the Executive Director of TKC, said that as a policy research institute, the organisation has co-opted religious leaders as nutrition advocates to help Nigerians navigate the economic challenges and fight malnutrition.
He said that the dialogue aims at tackling Nigeria’s persistent malnutrition challenges by bringing together religious leaders to champion the cause of proper nutrition through supporting the initiative of ANRiN in addressing the critical issue of malnutrition.
According to Barkindo, by engaging religious leaders to harness their influence to promote a culture of nutrition and health, Nigeria will become a more prosperous nation.
“Religious leaders have a significant influence on their congregations, making them ideal advocates for promoting positive change. There is need for change in value system, so we want to educate Nigerians on the proper way to channel their resources wisely and feed correctly,” Barkindo said.
Also, Ms Anna Swanta, the Project Officer of TKC, said that the ANRIN initiative commenced in 2018 to tackle the challenge of malnutrition by expanding access to quality, cost-effective nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, and children under five.
Swanta said that the ANRIN project aimed to scale up nutrition interventions while strengthening the capacity of both federal and state governments to plan, finance, and implement these programs effectively.
She said, “Child malnutrition is a critical issue in Nigeria, with 37 per cent of children under five experiencing stunted growth due to poor nutrition and inadequate breastfeeding. The problem becomes even more alarming as children grow older, with stunting rates rising to 47 per cent among those aged 24-35 months.”
On her part, Barrister Asabe Ndahi, Project Manager, TKC, said that some of the participants at the dialogue sessions emphasised the relevance of leadership from the perspective of fatherhood and religion.
Ndahi said that it also has to do with the role of experienced mothers in cascading wisdom and knowledge to younger generations, value re-orientation, and accountability.
“The conversations led by faith influencers and nutrition experts were centred on pregnancy health, myths, breastfeeding, hygiene, and complementary feeding including statistical analysis and intervention pathways.
“The faith influencers will launch new advocacy campaigns at both state and local government levels to raise awareness and push for concrete action on malnutrition,” she said.
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