Ex Imo Deputy Gov appeals to FG, Governors, others over 12 million malnourished Children in Nigeria

BY: EMMANUEL CHUKWUMA, ENUGU.

The former Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere has appealed to the federal government and governors across the country over the frightening statistics of twelve million malnourished children in the country.

Prince Madumere emphasized that this staggering statistics calls for urgent and decisive proactive action, so as to reduce mortality rate and level of stunted growth among the children.

The Imo State governorship hopeful made this known while addressing newsmen in Owerri, the capital of Imo State.

Prince Madumere encouraged the government to put mechanism in place for adequate budgetary provisions capable of taking care of the nutrition needs of the children.

According to the American trained technocrat and business administrator, children represents the future of the nation and serves as catalyst for political development, growth and sustainability.

He said, “We must have a road map to navigate through the future, our children represents the future of the nation. Adequate provisions must be made for their growth and sustainability. The time to provide for their needs is now.”

The Imo governorship hopeful stressed that the master plan and blueprint as encapsulated in the “Journey of Grace” to turn around the state economically, fine-tune the business environment, create wealth, revive moribund establishments, build viable industries and empower the citizenry for creativity has been marshalled out and will soon be unveiled.

Prince Madumere, a Political Strategist submitted, “The Journey of Grace is a Divine Mandate, Imo deserves the best in terms of service delivery, economic stability, viability and visibility. We must increase our speed in terms of development in the rural communities. Development must be even and all encompassing. We assure the people that our words must surely be our bounds in this journey to the promised land flowing with milk and honey.”

Prince Madumere, an Entrepreneur of note highlighted that the welfare and needs of the children would be made a priority if given the mantle to govern the state, come, 2027.

Prince Madumere called on the leadership to rise up and address the alarm raised by UNICEF over Nigeria’s worsening child nutrition crisis, revealing that a staggering 32 per cent of children under the age of five are malnourished.

This is even as they revealed that the statistics calls for urgent need for immediate, coordinated action to address the deep-rooted issues of poverty, food insecurity, and inadequate healthcare plaguing the country.

“With millions of young lives at risk of stunted growth, developmental delays, and preventable deaths, UNICEF warns that failure to act swiftly could spell a generational catastrophe.”

Prince Madumere highlighted that UNICEF revelation that over 12 million Nigerian children are stunted, translates into their growth and brain development have been severely affected by chronic undernutrition.

He explained that stunted children are less likely to succeed in school, and the damage is often irreversible.

The business mogul called on organizations government at all levels, development partners, and communities to prioritise child nutrition before the crisis spirals further out of control.

Prince Madumere expressed astonishment over the revelation that Nigeria carries the world’s second highest burden of child stunting, with 32 percent of under-five children suffering from the condition, which hampers both their physical growth and brain development.

He called on the government to act swiftly and address the situation for the overall development of the nation.

The Imo governorship top contender highlighted the need for food security, empowering women and girl child with information, and expanding nutrition-sensitive interventions that promote dietary diversity, exclusive breastfeeding, and hygiene practices in line with the world best practice.

Prince Madumere called on government at all levels to work assiduously and harmoniously in addressing the complex nature of malnutrition in the country, with a view to finding lasting solutions.