By Lizzy Carr
Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria, CS-SUNN Bauchi, has renewed its campaign for the Bauchi State Government to create dedicated nutrition budget lines in Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, to strengthen the implementation of nutrition activities across the state.
State Coordinator of CS-SUNN, Dabis Mwalike, stated this at a one-day meeting with media practitioners, traditional and religious leaders in Bauchi.
Mwalike said creating specific nutrition budget lines in relevant MDAs, including health, agriculture and water resources, would ensure adequate funding and improve coordination and implementation of nutrition interventions.
She said since CS-SUNN commenced operations in Bauchi in 2018, the organisation had contributed to the approval of six months’ maternity leave for working women.
Mwalike, however, called on the state government to ensure full implementation of the approved six-month maternity leave and establish crèches at workplaces to enable nursing mothers to continue breastfeeding while at work.
She also called for the timely release of funds for child nutrition, noting that the Bauchi State Government had approved five hundred million naira as a matching grant for child nutrition activities in 2026.
Mwalike urged traditional and religious leaders to use their influence to promote nutrition awareness and support efforts to reduce malnutrition in the state.
She also called on the media to sustain advocacy and give greater visibility to nutrition issues, particularly those affecting women and children.
In a presentation on the role of the media in promoting nutrition awareness and amplifying advocacy,
Executive Director of Journalists for Public Health and Development Initiative, J4PD, Elizabeth Kah, said nutrition is everyone’s business.
She said improving nutrition outcomes requires more than health interventions, stressing the need for informed communities, trusted voices and a media that keeps nutrition on the public agenda.
Kah urged journalists to go beyond reporting ceremonies and investigate the causes of nutrition gaps, while amplifying community voices and expert advice.
The State Nutrition Focal Person, Abdulsalam Abdu, and Deputy Nutrition Officer of the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Board, Fadila Idris, called for coordinated efforts among stakeholders to tackle malnutrition.
The District Head of Jahun, Alhaji Aminu Yakubu Mahmud, alongside other religious leaders, also urged husbands and families to provide nutritious food for their households.
They stressed that sustained collaboration among government, civil society, the media, traditional institutions and religious leaders is critical to improving nutrition outcomes in Bauchi State.
Dabis Mwalike, CS-SUNN Coordinator, Bauchi State
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