Yenagoa – The Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has been tasked to develop a robust workplan to drive nutrition awareness campaigns across communities in Bayelsa State.
The charge was given by the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, when the Bayelsa chapter of CS-SUNN paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Yenagoa.
Expressing concern over the state’s low nutrition indices, particularly in rural communities, Senator Ewhrudjakpo urged the NGO to establish branches in all eight local government areas. He emphasized the need for behavioural change communication, using local dialects through community radio, to tackle misconceptions around nutrition.
The Deputy Governor noted the growing preference for fast food, beef, and iced fish among rural dwellers, to the detriment of nutrient-rich traditional foods like snails and periwinkle. He assured the delegation that the government would work to address issues surrounding the non-utilization of budgetary allocations for nutrition.
“We need adequate behaviour change communication to break the vicious cycle of poor nutrition. Advocacy must be taken to the grassroots, using all the local dialects of the Ijaw language to reach our people. CS-SUNN must develop a workplan that gets us into every rural community,” Senator Ewhrudjakpo said.
Earlier, the State Coordinator of CS-SUNN, Mrs. Unity Ototo, alongside Project Lead, Mr. Ambrose Evhoesor, and Senior Project Officer, Mr. Kunle Ishola, expressed concern over the rising cases of malnutrition in Bayelsa, especially among children. They explained that CS-SUNN is present in 30 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, and reaffirmed their commitment to partnering with the state government to improve nutrition outcomes.
The delegation commended the government’s responsiveness to nutrition issues but appealed for the full utilization of allocated nutrition funds and the approval of six-month maternity leave for nursing mothers to encourage exclusive breastfeeding.
0 Comments