A Civil Society group, Civil Society – Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) Monday , March 10, took an advocacy visit to Enugu state Ministry of Budget and Planning to seek nutrition information and the state’s nutrition plan for 2025.
Enugu state Coordinator of CS-SUNN, Finian Ali, who led the group and it’s partners on the visit told the Permanent secretary, Ministry of Budget and Planning , Mrs Clara Eze that they were on a nutrition advocacy to her office to seek nutrition information ; see what the budget had been,; what the nutrition plan for 2025 is and to know the part where that will take them.
Pix: The group
He encouraged the state government to scale up her budget on nutrition, noting that healthy people build a healthy society.
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Ali informed the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Clara Eze ,that CS-SUNN will continue to partner with the state government to ensure that people, especially women and children feed well to avoid stunted growth and diseases
He informed her that Anambra and other states in each region who had good budgets on nutrition in 2024, received an award of $500,000 each . He therefore called on Enugu state Government to scale up the budget on nutrition, noting that CS-SUNN will continue to promote good nutrition in the state.
Responding, the Permanent secretary ,Ministry of Budget and planning, said they had been working with CS-SUNN, trying to improve the nutrition of the populace in the state.
She said knowing how much is budgeted on nutrition is very important and what happens after is also very important. Mrs Eze stressed the need to follow-up the advocacy visits and implementation of the allocation made on nutrition.
Pix: Mrs Eze speaking( R)
She observed that people were not eating right and, ” Malnutrition is seen much more amongst the poor.” She added that , ,” Nutrition is not only about women and children ,it is for every one. She assured the group that Enugu State will continue to support them and healthy nutrition to avoid stunted growth and diseases.
Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria, is an alliance of non-governmental organizations focused on improving food and nutrition outcomes across Nigeria.
Author,: Maureen Ikpeama