Nigeria: Jigawa State Has 600,000 Malnourished Children - Unicef

Nigeria: Jigawa State Has 600,000 Malnourished Children - Unicef Dutse — There are 600,000 under-5 stunted children in Jigawa State as a result of malnutrition, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said yesterday. UNICEF's Chief Nutritionist in Nigeria, Mr Arjan De-Wagt, who led other partners working to improve nutrition for children in Northern Nigeria, said this during a visit to Jigawa State governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar in Dutse. He said 600,000 out of 1.1 million under-5 in the state were suffering from malnutrition. The chief nutritionist blamed the situation on poor exclusive breast feeding because it is the most effective means of preventing malnutrition. "Regrettably, 102,000 children from zero to six months in the state do not benefit from breast feeding," he said. The governor assured UNICEF of his administration's support towards reversing it.