Predict famine with ongoing attacks on farmers
Admin l Friday, November 27, 2020
LAGOS, Nigeria – Nutrition experts have called on government at all levels to as a matter of urgency evolve a protein-centred nutrition policy to be able to engender future leaders who will be sound in every aspects of life.
The experts, made up of Dr. Adepeju Adeniran, a public health expert, Co-founder and National Chairperson Women in Global health(Nigeria), Dr. Omadeli Boyo, Medical Director of Pinecrest Specialist Hospital and Public Health Practitioner, Beatrice Oganah-Ikujenyo, PhD, a Nutritionist and Chief Lecturer, Department of Home Economics, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education made the call while speaking on a webinar put together by MediaCraft Associates Ltd on the subject, “ The case for a protein-centred National Nutrition policy”.
In her keynote address, Dr. Adepeju Adeniran defined policy as a set of activities that can get you from one goal to another, stressing that a concerted effort is needed for government to ensure that everyone in the population enjoys a measure of good health.
For her, key factors responsible for protein consumption habits in Nigeria include availability of food source, affordability of the food, taste of the food, knowledge of its nutrition value and personal choice or preference of the buyer. Quoting from the National Survey on Protein Consumption and sources of proteins consumed in Nigeria, Adepeju Adeniran noted that most of those who consumed protein in Nigeria depended on animal protein.
Forinstance, “70.68 percent of households that did consume protein consumed meat/fish/poultry. 31.25 percent of households that consumed protein consumed nuts and seeds; 20.28 percent of households that consumed protein consumed a diary product, cheese, yoghurt or milk; 16.15 percent of households that consumed protein consumed eggs, 72.9 percent of households that consumed protein consumed dark green vegetables; 7.47 percent of households that consumed protein consumed insects or other small sources of protein”.
She explained that survey on household protein consumption showed that Nigerians included protein in their diet but that the percentage of those able to do this are far below the recommended national average. Besides, she explained that data extracted from the Nigerian Protein Deficiency Survey reports showed that about 51 percent of the survey respondents did not have access to protein rich food because of cost.
Adeniran, said those mostly affected by protein deficiency are children, women of child bearing age, the elderly and the immune-compromised without nadequacy of protein in their diet. Taking a look at the Nigerian plate, she said population malnutrition and undernourishment in Nigeria can be demonstrated from the successive national surveys done in both the adult and children population.
She said protein deficiency is responsible for both stunting, chronic anemia and protein energy malnutrition figures in adult females, stressing that in Nigeria priority is often placed on carbohydrate with protein considered second best in what makes up the regular Nigeria plate, attributing the development to attitudes and cultural norms.
As she puts it, “Protein is considered non-essential in the provision of energy, so it is often not prioritized; protein is considered expensive, when compared to other food classes which are more affordable; protein is considered a luxury food to be given to the adults in the home, preferably the head of the household and preferably the males; children and the other nutritionally vulnerable demographics are not the targeted recipients of available household protein”.
She outlined some of the health effects of poor protein deficiency from mild or moderate protein deficiency to the more severe forms of protein-energy malnutrition.
“In children poor growth and development, stunting, immune-deficiencies ; Long term effects include learning and brain development can also be affected by inadequate intake of protein when due; pregnant women are at risks of protein deficiency if protein is not well optimized in the diet. Fetal developments is often not directly affected as the fetus will extract the nutrients it needs from the mother. However, nutrient deficiency impairs bone density and tissue inflammation can occur when inadequate protein is unavailable in the pregnant woman’s diet”, she said.
She explained that while indicators of protein deficiency in the child is often seen in stunted growth it is manifested in form of acute anaemia in adults. She told the audience that research has showed that cost remains the major reason that protein is not taken in the recommended quantity.
For her, knowledge, affordability and attitude remains the limiting factors to taking protein in the right quantity. She noted that one way to get out of the situation is through a protein fortification and optimization programme, the way it has worked in Jordan, with wheat fortification, milk in the United States, Vietnam and fortification of salt with iodine in Nigeria.
Dr. Adepeju Adeniran suggested that education remains one major factor that can take Nigeria out of the present malaise, with research showing that about 2 million children are suffering from Acute Malnutrition.She is of the view that nutrition as a subject must be taught in the schools. She also called for a policy on subsidy on protein to go with fixed prices to make protein readily available in homes.
She advocated for setting of targets and evaluation and that evaluation should be based on percentage figures, stressing that the reality is that things seems to shift to the positive side each time government intervenes where there are problems. She also canvassed for the need to target the women, who are the home decision makers when it comes to nutrition.
In discussing her presentation, one of the panelists, Dr. Omadeli Boyo revealed that Nigeria has assumed the status of a country with the second highest rate of children with stunted growth for children under five adding that two million children in the country currently suffer from acute malnutrition with government only able to reach two out of 10 for treatment.
He explained that 7 percent of women of child bearing age in the country also suffer from malnutrition, stressing that it would have been difficult for COVID-19 to have a field day if the population is well fed with food rich in protein.
He argued that the situation is worsened by the fact that only 17 percent of children are breastfed exclusively in the first 1 – 6 months, hence the need for a national policy on nutrition.
Besides, he argued that protein deficiency lowers the child’s cognitive skills, leading to low performance and under productivity, adding that a report has showed that stunting and wasting reduces Gross Domestic Product. Explaining the development, he said immune boasters are protein based and that malaria fever for instance will strike a child that is malnourished than a child who is well nourished with protein.
He said that since the children of today are leaders of tomorrow, a malnourished child will hardly do well in JAMB and related exams and that nutrition gives you the ability to cope during a period of pandemic.
For a change, Dr. Omadeli Boyo canvassed for nutrition based education and that pandemics can be taken care of if the population is well fed with nutritious food instead of the billion spent on combating it with drugs. He also canvassed for nutrition based education in schools, health centres, and hospitals and that pregnant women must be made aware of the importance of protein based diet.
Dr. Boyo called for encouragement of farmers to grow certain crops which are cheaper sources of local protein but that with the current trend of constant attack on farmers and kidnapping across the nation, famine seems imminent, since there will eventually be no body to farm and transport produce due to insecurity in the land. He canvassed for available of fertilizers to farmers and that protein education must be taken seriously by the states and local government. Besides, he also emphasized the need for families to put fruits as part of lunch or dinner. “Have groundnuts in the house, take salad and we must take fruits everyday”, he said. He also made a case for dietary diversification by incorporating local food sources like garden egg, Ugba, pumpkins, ewedu, Oha and others. He named other available sources of protein as Soyabean, legumes, cowpeas and insects such as cricket and termites.
He said pressure must be mounted on government to act before things go out of control.
In her submission, Beatrice Oganah-Ikujenyo, PhD identified barriers to effective nutrition policy. The barriers, she posited include nutrition being viewed as a multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary issue. For her, nutrition should be viewed as a priority and must stand alone.
“There should be no conflict of interest “, she suggested, adding that the current situation where nutrition is in the Ministry of health and also agriculture presents a challenge. She said implementation becomes easier when there is a Ministry of Food. She also identified dearth of nutritionists to teach nutrition as a course in higher institutions, noting that only few universities in Nigeria offer Nutrition as a course.
Beatrice Oganah-Ikujenyo also identified instability and policy summersault , distrust of government by citizens and lack of goodwill by government to drive nutrition policy. The session was moderated by Mrs. Louisa Olaniyi, a tech enthusiast and TV host.
