Wednesday, February 19, 2025 - The Bauchi State House of Assembly has ordered a thorough investigation into the expenditure of over N1 billion allocated for food and nutrition for children.
The investigation follows reports of rising malnutrition rates despite
nearly 100 per cent of the funds being released in previous years.
The lawmakers reached this resolution during a two-day advocacy and
sensitisation meeting organised by the State Committee on Food and Nutrition in
collaboration with the Ministry of Budget, Economic Planning, and Multilateral
Coordination, with support from UNICEF.
During the dialogue, shocking revelations emerged regarding the N1
billion spent on child nutrition in Bauchi over two years.
Reacting to the troubling data, which showed numerous children at risk
of death, Bauchi Speaker Abubakar Suleiman expressed deep concern, noting that
despite billions spent on nutrition, the crisis persists. He pledged to
investigate the spending.
“This is worrisome. Something is wrong somewhere. Honourable members,
with your permission, I want to suggest that the House Committee on Food and
Nutrition embark on an oversight function to find out what went wrong,” he
stated.
The state recently shut down its centres for the
management of acute malnutrition due to a shortage of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic
Food, RUTF, essential for treating severe acute malnutrition.
Meanwhile, Bauchi has the highest number of malnourished children in the
Northeast subregion.
The Speaker called on the House Committee on Food and Nutrition to
launch a full-scale investigation to uncover the cause of the problem.
His suggestion was unanimously supported by all 31 members present at
the meeting.
The lawmakers insisted on a comprehensive probe to identify the missing
link in the implementation of the nutrition budget and ensure accountability in
the utilisation of public funds.
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