The United Nations Children’s Fund has donated 11,580 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food to the Gombe State Government to support the treatment of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
The donation was presented on Monday by the Chief of UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, who commended the state government for providing ₦500 million in counterpart funding for nutrition interventions in 2025.
Rafique explained that UNICEF matched the state’s contribution with an equivalent amount through the Child Nutrition Fund, enabling the procurement of essential nutrition supplies for vulnerable children.
She said the consignment contained millions of sachets of RUTF, a specialised food product used in the treatment of severe acute malnutrition.
“RUTF is specifically meant for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition and should not be used as regular food,” she cautioned.
The UNICEF official stressed the need for proper distribution and monitoring to ensure the supplies reached their intended beneficiaries without diversion or misuse.
She also urged community-based organisations, including Mama2Mama and Fathers for Good Health, to intensify awareness campaigns on the appropriate use of the therapeutic food.
Rafique further advised parents and caregivers to ensure that children receiving treatment completed their prescribed courses and followed the guidance of health workers.
She noted that strict adherence to treatment procedures was essential for achieving positive nutritional and health outcomes.
The UNICEF official also praised the state government for setting up a committee to prevent the diversion and abuse of donated supplies, calling for stronger accountability measures.
In her remarks, the Gombe State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Professor Bertha Abdu, expressed appreciation to UNICEF for its continued support, particularly programmes targeting the welfare of women and children.
Abdu described adequate nutrition as essential to children’s growth and development, warning that nutritional deficiencies could have serious consequences for their health and development.
She called for sustained investment in nutrition programmes to protect children’s wellbeing.
Similarly, the Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Habu Dahiru, said raising physically healthy and mentally sound children was crucial to the state’s future.
Dahiru disclosed that the state government was complementing UNICEF’s interventions through the local production of nutrient-rich food.
According to him, the ministry has increased production of the locally developed nutritional product and is working with the North-East Development Commission to expand its production facility to serve Gombe and neighbouring states.
“We are ready to collaborate with UNICEF and other development partners to expand production of locally made nutritious food and strengthen efforts to tackle malnutrition,” he said.
He added that the state would monitor the distribution of the donated supplies to ensure that children requiring treatment benefited from the intervention.
The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Micah Sunday, also described UNICEF as an important development partner in efforts to improve children’s welfare.
Sunday said tackling malnutrition would improve children’s physical health, brain development, educational outcomes and general wellbeing.
He added that adequate nutrition was necessary for raising healthy and productive citizens who could contribute meaningfully to society.
The donation is expected to strengthen Gombe State’s efforts to address severe acute malnutrition and improve access to therapeutic treatment for vulnerable children across the state.
