Kebbi State is facing a worsening malnutrition crisis, putting thousands of children at risk of hunger, disease, and premature death as health facilities struggle to cope with rising admissions and families grapple with deepening poverty.
Across both rural and urban communities, children with sunken eyes, fragile bodies, and weakened immunity have become a common sight, highlighting a humanitarian challenge that health workers describe as a structural emergency rather than a seasonal problem.
Health experts point to poverty, food insecurity, and weak healthcare systems as the primary drivers of the crisis. Many households now survive on limited meals, often giving children the smallest portions as families contend with rising food costs and declining incomes.
Data from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) shows a 74.1 per cent increase in admissions of malnourished children at its facilities across Kebbi State between January and June 2025. According to Dr. Hamza Bello, a senior MSF medical officer, 24,784 children were admitted into inpatient therapeutic feeding centres, while 107,461 received treatment under outpatient nutrition programmes during the same period—a 13 per cent increase compared to 2024.
Bello explained that outpatient programmes cater to children with uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition, while critical cases are admitted for intensive care. “In one instance, we had about 400 children on admission in a single day,” he said, warning that the situation could worsen during peak malnutrition periods.
Access to care remains a major challenge, with some caregivers traveling up to 100 kilometres to reach treatment centres. Health workers report that many children arrive late, often with infections or organ complications. Some parents fail to recognize early signs of malnutrition or lack the resources to seek timely medical care.
Experts warn that malnutrition in Kebbi is driven by multiple factors, including poor infant feeding practices, limited dietary diversity, recurrent diseases, weak primary healthcare systems, climate-related farming disruptions, and insecurity. Civil society groups have described the condition as “a slow sickness that eats children from inside,” emphasizing the long-term consequences on brain development, academic performance, and adult productivity.
MSF and other organisations are calling for urgent government action, including the consistent supply of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, expanded preventive and curative nutrition programmes, and stronger community-based interventions. Nutrition advocates also recommend prioritizing infant and young child feeding, nutrition counselling, access to affordable nutritious food, and social protection measures for vulnerable households.
Efforts to reach Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Hon. Samaila Yakubu Augie, were unsuccessful, with officials stating he was out of town. The ministry has faced criticism for inadequate responses under the current administration, following a prior suspension of the former commissioner for alleged dereliction of duty.
As the crisis deepens, families across Kebbi State are confronting malnutrition not as a distant policy issue but as a daily threat to their children’s survival and the future of their communities.
