Experts underscore the link between poverty, knowledge and nutritional deficiency

LAGOS, Nigeria – Experts have emphasized the correlation between poverty and nutrition, stressing that poverty alleviation holds the key in mitigating the nutritional challenge facing Nigeria.

The experts, comprising Social Development Expert, Mrs. Foyinsola Oyebola, Clinical Nutritionist, Collins  Akanno and Media Consultant, Remmy Nweke spoke on a virtual conference on the subject, UN Decade of Action on Nutrition, correcting the dots for Nigeria.

Recall that the Nigeria Protein Deficiency Report indicates that 51 per cent of respondents do not consume adequate protein-rich foods, due to high cost. The report, which  is the brainchild of the Nigeria Protein Deficiency Awareness Campaign aka #Protein Challenge also showed that the fundamental factors determining the necessity of meal items consumed across the country are availability (79 percent) and affordability (68 percent).

Highlights of the report indicate that carbohydrates are the most consumed food amongst Nigerians. According to the report, rice topped the list with 91 percent, closely followed by ‘swallows’ (such as eba, pounded yam, tuwo, amala, etc.) at 83 percent. Fifty-eight  (58) percent of sampled institutional providers (dieticians and nutritionists) insisted that the protein intake of Nigerians is generally  insufficient.

The lead speaker, Foyinsola Oyebola pointed out that 82. 9 million Nigerians live in poverty and alluded to efforts made by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to alleviate poverty. 

According to her, the present administration is working to uplift 100 million Nigerians from poverty, adding that the president has already provided 100,000 poor households with grants in the quest to achieve his goals. She also alluded to the United Nations Development Goals (SDG) and efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari to implement the SDG through the office of Special Assistant to the President on SDG, which has already been escalated to the states.

She explained that the SDG II hopes to eradicate hunger through food security and improved nutrition. She however emphasized the need to speed up the SDG II and that there is already enough blueprint what is needed is to transform the blueprints into reality and carry every Nigerian along.

According to her, it requires it a lot of political will, and called on the President to democratise the SDG to make people aware of the way to go to align with the SDG. Specifically, she wants Nigeria to translate the policy into action, create massive awareness in the populace and work on insecurity to ensure that farmers are secured in their farms.

She also called for training of farmers on management skills, saving culture to make them credit worthy, exposure to market and off-takers who have credit facilities, monitoring and evaluation.

Above all, she called on farmers to rise above crude farming technique and graduate into mechanized farming. He also called on government to make the environment easy for business by granting waivers at the ports and the need to look into issues of multiple taxation.

She also emphasized the need to work on transportation, providing good roads, rail, or even air transport to ensure that fresh fruits get to destination on time without losing their nutritional value.

In his presentation, Collins Akanno explained that 69 percent of the Nigerian population is plagued with hidden hunger, which he explained to be micro nutritional deficiency.

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 According to him, most Nigerians only talk animal protein as the source of protein, ignoring plant based source due to ignorance hence the need for awareness campaign  especially on the social media.

He explained that knowledge is needed to plan healthy eating, using the analogy of the healthy plate. According to him the healthy plate comprises vegetable, fruits and lots of water, adding that education is needed to achieve healthy eating. 

For him, sources of protein include Egusi, vegetable soup and shrimps, fresh and dry fish, sardines,  and crayfish, which he said is made up of 18 grams of protein.  He also alluded to snail, groundnut, peanut butter,  millets, moi moi and beans, locust bean and Soya bean which he said has 100 percent of protein and amino acid.

Speaking to government, Remmy Nweke in his contribution condemned what has been the downward trend of health budget over the years, stressing that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation and that Nigeria needs to take the health sector seriously.