Bauchi’s Malnutrition Crisis: 54,000 Children at Risk as Funding Delays Stall Lifesaving Aid

Bauchi State is facing a devastating child malnutrition emergency, with over 54,000 children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), according to UNICEF. Many of these children are said to be “wasting in their mothers’ arms,” battling conditions that not only threaten their survival but also severely stunt their physical and cognitive development.

The condition of Suleiman Abdullahi’s 30-month-old son paints a grim picture. The boy, who has been malnourished since he was 18 months old, remains unable to stand or walk. He was once on Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a lifesaving nutritional paste for malnourished children, but inconsistent supply and stockouts have pushed him back into crisis. Suleiman recounted the struggle of traveling long distances and spending what little he had just to locate RUTF, only to be told it was no longer available due to misuse and hoarding by others.

He revealed that his son had initially missed exclusive breastfeeding due to his wife’s early second pregnancy, and despite trying different food options, the child’s body showed no improvement. With nowhere else to turn and faced with economic hardship, the desperate father has resorted to traditional remedies and prayer.

Similarly, 35-year-old Aishatu Musa from Birshin Fulani community is dealing with malnutrition in her twin boys—one moderately malnourished and the other severely. She said her inability to continue hospital visits for RUTF is due to the worsening cost of living, admitting that she currently lacks any food to feed them.

Health workers across the state have raised alarms over the rising number of children suffering from malnutrition. Many of the affected families, they say, stop visiting hospitals after being repeatedly told that RUTF is unavailable. Some health officials also blame poor maternal practices, noting that stigma and misinformation often drive some mothers to deceive health workers by artificially inflating their children’s weight using tricks like inserting stones into diapers.

Meanwhile, Bauchi State has come under scrutiny for failing to contribute its share of funding to the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF), a global financing initiative supported by UNICEF, the UK government, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. While neighboring states like Gombe, Adamawa, and Plateau have made matching contributions to access the fund, Bauchi has yet to release its N100 million counterpart fund, a delay that has stalled procurement and delivery of essential nutrition supplies.

UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office in Bauchi, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, in a February meeting with state lawmakers and local government chairmen, revealed that 3 out of every 10 children in Bauchi are malnourished. She pleaded with the state government to take urgent action, stressing that continued delays could result in more child deaths.

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Despite allocating N2.1 billion for nutrition in its 2024 budget, Bauchi has made little to no progress in fund disbursement. For example, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development, which budgeted N125 million, reportedly received no release. The state House of Assembly has also flagged possible mismanagement of a N1 billion nutrition fund and vowed to investigate.

Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Board, admitted that the delay in accessing the CNF was not the governor’s fault but his own, stating that the memo requesting the matching funds was still being prepared. He assured that once the governor returns, the proposal would be presented and action taken.