The Katsina State Government has released N350 million as its contribution to UNICEF for the purchase of Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic-Food (RUTF) for treatment of malnourished children in the state.
The Special Adviser to the governor on Budget and Planning, Alhaji Abdullahi Imam, disclosed on Tuesday in Katsina, while signing the agreement on behalf of the State Government.
Imam said that was part of the state government commitment toward improving the living condition of the malnourished children.
“The government is committed to the plight of malnourished children, it will continue to provide its support towards addressing malnutrition in the state,’’ he said.
Imam assured that the government would double its contribution to the programme in 2018 budget.
He stressed the need for the state House of Assembly to ensure speedy passage of 2018 budget whenever it was presented before it to enable the government save lives of malnourished children.
In her remarks, the UNICEF Field Officer in charge of Katsina and Kano States, Padmavathi Yedla, announced that Children Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) has pledged to support the programme with equal grant of N350 million, thereby raising the total amount of RUTF to be purchased in the state to N700m.
She said that malnutrition needs collective collaboration from all sectors like Education, Agriculture, Water Resources and Health, adding that attitudinal changes are vital in dealing with malnutrition.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that following the signing of the agreement, about 30,000 cartoons of RUTF are expected to be delivered to the state for treatment of malnourished children in 15 local government areas of the state.