By Tony Adibe
The United Nations Children’s Fund for Education (UNICEF) and the Cross River State Planning Commission have trained LGA Nutrition Committees from nine councils under the LDSC-funded project, as ALGON pledges dedicated nutrition budgets.
The development comes as participants were told that about 214,931 of Cross River’s more than one million children under five are suffering from stunted growth. But they were also informed that the first 1,000 days are the critical window for prevention of the challenge.
NewsBits reports that, based on the prevailing situation, Local Government Areas in Cross River State have been urged to ensure money budgeted for nutrition is actually released and strictly spent for the purpose it is meant. It was learnt that the event formed part of a malnutrition-prevention project funded by Latter-Day Saints Charities (LDSC), which focuses on the first 1,000 days of life, from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday.
Addressing participants during the brainstorming training sessions, the Independent Consultant on Public Finance for Children (PF4C), Dr David Okelue Ugwunta, said nutrition financing must go beyond planning and budget approval to the actual release of funds, implementation and accountability.
Dr Ugwunta, a one-time Commissioner for Budget and Planning in Enugu State, said: “A plan without a budget line is a wish. A budget line without a release is a promise. Only a release, spent and reported, is a service.”
Ugwunta took the participants through the educative journey of “resource identification, costing of nutrition activities, the flow of funds, expenditure tracking and reporting”. The former Commissioner also explained the local government budget cycle that comprised: budget review, the budget call circular, preparation of departmental proposals, consideration by the Executive Council, and passage by the Legislative Council.
He urged committees to engage decisionmakers early, so that nutrition would be included in the budget before it is passed. The Independent Consultant on Public Finance for Children further explained that federation allocations, internally generated revenue, State transfers and development partners are the main sources of LGA revenue.
He said that because “salaries, pensions and other first-line charges come out first,” nutrition needs clear, identifiable budget lines and a strong champion if it is to be funded.
Dr Ugwunta equally spoke on commodities such as Albendazole for deworming and Iron and Folic Acid Supplements (IFAS) for pregnant women, he said, would cost about ₦114.8 million for the nine LGAs in one round of the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW). That comes to ₦229.7 million for the two rounds held each year, or between ₦11.1 million and ₦14.7 million per LGA per round.
According to the expert, the figures came from the State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA).
NewsBits learnt that participants carried out practical costing exercises using line items, units, number of persons, duration and unit prices. Dr Ugwunta advised them to use approved LGA rates and to state the funding source and means of verification for every activity.
Explaining ways of securing funds, Dr Ugwunta gave participants four advocacy arguments: Our children: their health, growth and development; Our money: directing public resources to priority community needs; Value for money: prevention costs far less than treatment; Visible results: outcomes that can be measured and accounted for.
The Consultant also listed three advocacy tools: visits to decisionmakers, budget memoranda and full proposals. Earlier, in a session on convergence planning and joint implementation, Dr Ugwunta said every sector must work to one LGA nutrition plan. The plan covers health, agriculture, WASH, education, social protection and planning, with each department playing its own role.
Emphasising that LGAs should own and finance their nutrition interventions, Dr Ugwunta listed seven steps for the committees to repeat every year: “situation analysis, a multisectoral joint planning meeting, a convergence matrix, work plans and budgets, joint implementation, monitoring, and quarterly review”.
In her remarks, the Nutrition Specialist at the UNICEF Enugu Field Office, Dr Ngozi Onuora, said Cross River is one of five states selected for the LDSC project, with nine LGAs chosen for the pilot. Dr. Onuora said stunting in the state fell from 23 per cent in 2018 to 21 per cent in 2024, and minimum dietary diversity rose from 23 per cent to 51 per cent.
According to her, about one in five children is still shorter than expected for their age, and about 80 per cent of infants aged 0–6 months are not exclusively breastfed.
Dr Onuora insisted that UNICEF “aims to bring stunting below 10 per cent,” stressing that the international organization “will do this by promoting breastfeeding and timely complementary feeding, and by supporting home and community gardening and small livestock production”.
The Nutrition Specialist advised Cross River State to invest in the Child Nutrition Fund, through which UNICEF matches state contributions for: multiple micronutrient supplements for pregnant women; lipid-based nutrient supplements; therapeutic foods for children with severe acute malnutrition.
She described a functional LGCFN as the LGA’s coordination and accountability mechanism for turning nutrition policy into coordinated local results. The lead facilitator and independent nutrition consultant, Mrs Ada Ezeogu, said tackling malnutrition takes more than food. “You need the food, you need the caring practices, and then you need the healthy environment,” she told participants.
Ezeogu also urged families to ensure pregnant women eat nutritious diets, attend antenatal care and take recommended supplements, including iron and folic acid. She further told participants that about 214,931 of Cross River’s more than one million children under five are stunted. She said the first 1,000 days are the critical window for prevention.
NewsBits learnt that the training followed a one-day high-level engagement between ALGON, State policymakers and stakeholders. During the meeting, the Cross River ALGON Chairman, Chief Chris Agbeh, pledged the local councils’ full support for the project.
The State’s ALGON chairman, who was represented by the Secretary of Ogoja Local Government Council, Chief Alex Atem, assured that the councils would: mainstream nutrition into LGA plans; create dedicated nutrition budget lines; support counterpart funding; step up ward-level awareness campaigns.
The Vice Chairmen of the nine LGAs also agreed to engage members of the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) at their monthly meeting in October. They further agreed to improve direct contributions through the Ministry of Local Government Affairs and JAAC, so that every LGA pays the monthly nutrition contribution agreed by ALGON.
NewsBits reports that other sessions were led by: Dr Winifred Oga: developing Priority Nutrition Action Plans; Dr Olalekan Adedu: the structure and work of the LGCFN, and operational planning and budgeting. LGA teams worked in groups on their plans, with Akpabuyo and Odukpani presenting theirs.
At the close, participants agreed on six things: nutrition interventions must be prioritised and properly costed; they must have clear lines in LGA budgets; early engagement with the authorities is essential during the budget cycle; approval must be followed by release, implementation and expenditure reporting; advocacy through visits, memoranda and proposals can improve funding; LGCFNs should promote sustainable LGA financing and accountability for nutrition.
NewsBits learnt that the participants were drawn from the departments of health, agriculture, WASH, planning, finance and social mobilisation of the nine councils in Cross River State. However, whether participants are going to put into practice all that they were taught during the two-day training is left to be seen.
