Gombe deputy gov launches 2023- 2027 action plan on food

The Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Dr Manassah Daniel Jatau, has urged policy formulators in the country to ensure that adequate measures and frameworks are put in place to effectively and efficiently implement policies aimed at developing various sectors.

He stated while delivering keynote remark at the launch of the State Food and Nutrition Policy and Multisectoral Plan of Action 2023-2027, held on March 19, 2024, at Gombe International Hotel.

The Deputy Governor stated, “We must all put hands on deck to avoid a situation where set dates and targets by concerned authorities are not met, for example, Health for All by the Year 2000, Shelter for All by the Year 2000.”

He emphasized, “My contribution to attaining this policy is that we must encourage improvement in the production of protein and vitamin sources from our local, indigenous farm produce, such as sorghum, groundnuts, soya beans, etc.”

He said, “Careful followers of the trends of events and happenings in our state would have realized that giant infrastructural strides are being pursued alongside human capital projects meant for the welfare of the residents in Gombe State.”

He also mentioned, “Basically, the investments in health through the provision of 114 primary health care centres in all the political wards in the state; GoHealth, education; civil service reforms, and such others are testimony to His Excellency, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s care and concern about the social aspects of the residents. As time will not permit me at this occasion to pinpoint all the projects this administration executed in the last four (4) years, I wish to refer my audience to the First Term Scorecard 2019-2023.”

“Lovers of Gombe, today’s launching of the Gombe State Food and Nutrition Policy and Multisectoral Plan of Action 2023-2027, which came up after very careful scrutiny and discussion and subsequent approval by the State EXCO, is yet another determination to ensure that Gombe key into the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and also the national policy of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of the present administration, of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he added.

Manassah Jatau added that, “Basically, this launching of the Policy and Action Plan is a clear realization by government that whatever stands the test of time must be on a very solid foundation.”

He said, “Accordingly, nutrition, which is defined as ‘the process of eating the right kind of food so you can grow properly and be healthy’ (Jatau, 2021:160), is very crucial and important in the lifespan of human beings.”

The Deputy Governor also pointed out that, “In essence, its launching today is really apt, germane, necessary, and inevitable, to arrest the present situation where malnutrition and its unpleasant consequences have been documented by numerous concerned individuals like His Royal Highness the former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, world bodies like UNICEF, United Nations, World Health Organization, African Union, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and some national governments that are continually developing programs and policies to stem the tide.”

He also stressed that, “By the launching today, a challenge is thrown to these numerous sectors: health, education, social protection, economic growth, water and sanitation, food system, and nutrition to come together and give importance to each of these sectors in line with the System Theory of Society adhering to the Policy as a guide to ensure the attainment of the aims and objectives of the policy.”

He stated that the state Government is working with development partners such as UNICEF, ANRIN, Taimako Project, Mercy Corps, WHO, MNCH Coalition, HarvestPlus, and CS-SUNN to eradicate malnutrition in the state.

Although the state has undertaken the following: Promptly releases counterpart funding for the procurement of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition, Produced a complementary feed for the management of moderately malnourished children across the 11 LGAs, Established Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) in 6 LGAs of the state, Facility Infant and Young Child Feeding (F-IYCF) that are ongoing in the 11 LGAs and Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRIN) in 7 LGAs and introduced GOHEALTH.

He, however, said, “Despite all these, it is not yet ‘uhuru’ since experience, reports, and statistical data confirm that we are yet to be free from the undesirable phenomena and its adverse effects on the population’s health.”

In the face of the above, the implementation of the Food and Nutrition Policy and Multisectoral Plan of Action is a task that must be carried out effectively for the optimal nutritional status of residents of Gombe State within the timeframe of 2023-2027, noting very well that one 2023 is gone already.