Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Health and nutrition stakeholders urge Nigerian media organisations to play a stronger, more sustained role in tackling maternal malnutrition, warning that undernourishment among women continues to drive preventable maternal and child deaths nationwide.
The call comes on Saturday in Abuja during the fifth anniversary of News Balance Media, marked by a Maternal Nutrition Outreach aimed at raising awareness on women’s and children’s nutrition.
Speaking at the event, News Balance Media Team Lead Bukola Afeni says maternal nutrition must move higher on national priorities, stressing that media advocacy can influence policy and behaviour. “No woman or child should be left behind in health, nutrition and dignity,” Afeni says.
She reveals that 7.3 million adolescent girls and women of reproductive age in Nigeria are undernourished, while the country’s maternal mortality rate stands at 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births, one of the highest globally.
Afeni explains that poor maternal nutrition leads to low birth weight, premature delivery and childhood undernutrition, with long-term consequences for learning, productivity and national development. She adds that News Balance Media, in partnership with Health Communication and Visibility, recently delivered nutrition support to internally displaced persons camps in Abuja, targeting vulnerable women and children.
Also speaking, Judith Ugbodu of NOI Polls highlights limited male involvement in maternal care, noting that men often control household food choices and healthcare decisions. “We need practical solutions such as home gardening, mother-to-daughter nutrition education and simplified, culturally appropriate messaging,” Ugbodu says.
Media practitioner Opeyemi Adeola and Adeola Oyegunle of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria call for stronger policy backing for nutrition reporting, warning that poverty, food insecurity, cultural beliefs and weak health systems continue to fuel maternal malnutrition.
They urge sustained collaboration among government, donors, civil society and the media to save lives and strengthen Nigeria’s human capital.
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Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
Oluwafunbi Bello 
Mirian Gom 
Hussaini Ibrahim