Stakeholders laud inauguration of Nutrition committee at LG, LCDA levels to tackle malnutrition
Some Stakeholders in Lagos State have lauded the inauguration of Food and Nutrition Committee in Local Government and Local Council Development Area across the state.
The Newsmen reports that hundreds of participants across 20 Local Government and 37 Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos State participated in the domestication of the committee at grassroots levels.
Dr Odufa Kayode, the Medical Officer of Health Mushin Local Government, in Lagos State thanked the state government for its efforts in curbing the menace of malnutrition in the community.
“We know what is happening on the field, we know that malnutrition is a very big challenge in our society.
“And that is why this kind of programme is timely, I know Lagos State has been doing so much, the federal government has been doing so much, but we have to do it well.
“And you can see the indices, it’s progressive but at a particular time, we need to move beyond where we are.
“We can’t stay in one place and that’s why Lagos is taking the lead to ensure that this committee is set up at local government and LCDA levels.
Odufa said that the health sector could not do it alone but with the help of other sectors like agriculture, environment, finance and others to ensure the community was free from
“You will know that health cannot do it alone, so that is why intersectoral is involved.
“As you can see the agreement, you can see the education, the budget, the information, and the residents coming together to ensure the system is free from malnutrition,” he said.
The medical doctor said that the committee was going to be taken to grassroots level to ensure residents were well enlightened.
Odufa said that the development was going to be taken down to the community level as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was ambitious to ensure a good political will was put in place to drive the committee forward.
Mr Adetunji Shobayo, the Executive Vice-Chairman Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA thanked the state government for domesticating the committee to local government levels.
Shobayo said that the development would help the various local governments and LCDAs engaged fully in enlighten the woman more about breast feeding and food nutrition to their children.
“We are going to work hands in hands with the state government to ensure the development is fruits across the state,” Shobayo said.
Dr Adenike Oguntuashe, the Director of Medical Services and Disease Control, Lagos State Health District III said in her remarks that budgeting was essential to curb malnutrition challenges in the community.
“If we have it in our budget, it will be easy to provide funds to procure it.
“And whenever we identify the malnourished children, we can give it out to them.
“We also know that the local governments from time to time also make provision for the subsidised markets or free markets where people pick up vouchers from the local governments and procure as much as they want at a subsidised rate.
“This is to make available food to the people within the community so that the nutrition will be optimal as there will be no stunts.
“We all know malnutrition is the bedrock of 50 per cent of all the diseases that we have within the society.
“So by the time we cut down malnutrition, there are no stunts, their brain is well developed, they will make a healthier community in the future,” she said.
MrsTaiwo Fadairo, the State Nutrition Officer and the Secretary of the State Committee on Food and Nutrition said that the major causes of malnutrition in the society was lack of adequate information.
According to her, there are some major causes of malnutrition, some of them are immediate, some are underlying causes while some are caused by things we see, we do, the way we do things.
“For instance, a child may be malnourished right from the mother’s womb, the mother may not be able to take adequate nutrition in pregnancy due to costume and cultural beliefs.
Some of them believe that some foods are not good for pregnant women like some of them feel in Yoruba, in my part of the city, believe that if a pregnant woman takes orange, that it affects women during labour.
“Some of them even believe that if they take bananas, it affects the unborn child.
“Even snail, they believe if a pregnant woman takes a snail, the baby will be bringing out saliva.
They are all false,they are all myths, fruits and vegetables are very, very essential.
It gives minerals and vitamins, prevents infection, diseases, mortality and morbidity,” she said.
Fadairo added that the major causes of malnutrition in the community was lack of proper information.
She said that someone might have resources and still lack proper information about food nutrition for the family.
“The economy is not even the major thing because you may have the money or the resources and lack knowledge of what and what to eat.
“So, we are saying it’s either young, or old, either infant, young children, school children, your food must contain a balanced diet.
