The Kano State Government has issued a stern warning to nutrition coordinators against diverting or selling nutrition supplements intended for malnourished children, stressing that anyone caught engaging in such acts will face arrest and prosecution.
Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, the State Commissioner for Health, announced on Wednesday during the MIYCN and MMS closeout and dissemination meeting with nutrition officers in Kano.
The meeting reviewed the impact of the MIYCN and MMS interventions in the state following the conclusion of activities by the FHI 360 Alive and Thrive Nigeria Project.
The commissioner emphasised that the state would not tolerate any actions that undermine efforts to improve the health and well-being of mothers, children, and adolescents.
“Let me inform you that security agencies are monitoring all activities closely. Any Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) that goes missing will have consequences. Make sure you do not collude with anyone to divert these supplements. They are meant solely for malnourished children,” he said.
Dr. Yusuf noted that the RUTF distribution, valued at N1 billion, was funded jointly by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf with N500 million and UNICEF with another N500 million, and is expected to last several months.
He said the intervention, alongside support from development partners, aims to significantly reduce malnutrition and the prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women in the state.
The commissioner also commended the FHI 360 Alive and Thrive Nigeria Project for its work in advancing maternal, infant, and young child nutrition globally.
In his remarks, the State Team Lead of the FHI 360 Alive and Thrive Nigeria Project, Dr. Ashiru Shitu, said that over the past four years, the initiative had trained more than 8,000 health workers in Kano.
He reiterated the project’s commitment to scaling up nutrition interventions to ensure healthier outcomes for women and children, contributing to both national and global nutrition goals.
