Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling hunger and malnutrition across the state as he flagged off the distribution of 90,000 bags of grains to vulnerable households. Governor Radda said the initiative was a direct response to the current economic hardship affecting families and the rising rate of malnutrition among children.
“This event is not just about food, it is about compassion, duty and responsibility,” he stated. “We are determined to ensure that no family in Katsina goes to bed hungry and no child suffers from malnutrition or neglect.”He explained that the exercise followed the findings of a high powered committee established earlier in the year to assess the malnutrition situation in the state.
According to him, beneficiaries were carefully selected using verified data from the Primary Health Care Development Agency, community level committees and the Committee on Malnutrition to ensure transparency and fairness in the process.The Governor disclosed that his administration is establishing 60 new Outpatient Therapeutic Programme OTP Centres and upgrading nine existing malnutrition treatment centres in the most affected local government areas.
He also revealed plans to establish a Tom Brown and Ready to Use Therapeutic Food RUTF factory in Katsina to locally produce nutritional supplements for malnourished children and nursing mothers.According to him, these interventions have already contributed to reducing the state’s malnutrition rate to between eight and ten percent. He added that the grain distribution complements other social protection and food security programmes including support for 4,000 irrigation farmers under the Community Development Programme CDP.
Governor Radda commended the Committee on Malnutrition, traditional and religious leaders, as well as development partners like Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), for their support in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. He urged all those involved in the exercise to ensure honesty and transparency, stressing that every bag of grain must reach deserving households.
Chairman of the Committee on Malnutrition, Dr. Ahmad Musa Abdullahi described the intervention as an act of compassion and foresight. He recalled that the committee completed its assessment in September and received immediate approval from the Governor for the distribution. He assured that the exercise would be monitored by teams drawn from government agencies, traditional and religious leaders, ALGON and the Zakkat and Waqf Committees.
The Coordinator of the Community Development Programme Dr. Kamal said the event coincided with the one year anniversary of the programme which has recorded notable achievements in agriculture, food security and poverty alleviation. He commended the Governor for ensuring that development reaches the grassroots.
