Over 70,000 Adamawa Children Face Malnutrition Emergency – Groups Warn
Hussaini Ibrahim 
KATSINA, Nigeria – More than 70,000 children in Adamawa State are malnourished and urgently need nutritional support, civil society groups warn, calling for immediate government action.
The alarm was raised by the Civil Society–Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) Wednesday during a nutrition financing dialogue in Yola, citing findings from the 2023 National Demographic and Health Survey.
CS-SUNN Steering Committee Chairman, Sodangi Chindo, says malnutrition continues to threaten child survival despite modest progress since 2018.
“About 19.1 per cent of children are underweight, 4.2 per cent wasted, and nearly 40 per cent stunted,” Chindo says.
Although these figures improve on the previous survey, he stresses they remain unacceptably high. The state government commits ₦300 million to nutrition commodities, later matched to ₦600 million, but advocates say funding still falls short.
Chindo explains that allocating just 3.5 per cent of Adamawa’s proposed 2026 budget—around ₦9 billion—could significantly reduce malnutrition through counterpart funding arrangements.
“Malnutrition accounts for about 45 per cent of under-five deaths globally,” he adds, citing the World Health Organization. “Nigeria loses over 2,000 children daily to malnutrition.”
Advocates urge the timely release of nutrition funds and call on donors, private firms and philanthropists to support the state’s nutrition agenda.
Health experts warn that without urgent investment, malnutrition will continue to undermine education, productivity and long-term development across northern Nigeria.
About the Author
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
Oluwatobi Adu 