Katsina, UNICEF tackle malnutrition, unveil survey

The Katsina State Government on Wednesday, commenced the 2026 SMART Nutrition Survey amid concerns over the persistent burden of stunting, underweight, poor dietary diversity and food insecurity affecting children and vulnerable households across the state.

The survey, which covers all 34 Local Government Areas, is expected to generate updated evidence on the nutritional status of children and women and guide the government and development partners in targeting interventions.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Katsina, the Statistician General of the Katsina State Bureau of Statistics, Professor Saifullahi Ibrahim said the exercise was not merely a data collection activity but a critical investment in evidence-based governance.

“Statistics provide the evidence upon which governments make decisions, allocate resources, monitor progress and assess whether public interventions are achieving the desired results,” he said.

Arewa PUNCH reports that the 2025 SMART Survey recorded a Global Acute Malnutrition prevalence of 7.4 percent among children in the state, while stunting stood at 46.3 percent and underweight at 25.8 percent.

Although GAM declined from 13.5 percent in 2022 to 7.4 percent in 2025, officials said the high levels of chronic malnutrition remained a major concern.

The Statistician General also highlighted poor infant feeding practices, saying only 21.2 percent of children were exclusively breastfed, while minimum dietary diversity stood at 28.5 percent in 2025.

He identified inflation, poverty, conflict, displacement, large family sizes, childhood illnesses and inadequate coverage of interventions as some of the factors driving malnutrition in the state.

Ibrahim further disclosed that about 73,500 people in Katsina were in emergency food insecurity conditions between October and December 2025, with further deterioration projected during the June-August 2026 lean season.

He, therefore, called for stronger collaboration among the health, agriculture, education, water and sanitation, social protection and food security sectors.

Our correspondent reports that the survey will assess wasting, stunting and underweight among children aged 0-59 months, mortality, childhood morbidity, coverage of Vitamin A and other nutrition interventions, maternal nutrition, infant and young child feeding practices, health-seeking behaviour and household WASH indicators.

The exercise will use the SMART methodology and a two-stage cluster sampling design across seven survey domains covering the state’s 34 LGAs.

The Statistician General who stressed the need for strict adherence to methodology and quality-control procedures, emphasised that, “The quality of a policy decision can never be better than the quality of the evidence upon which it is based.”

The United Nations Children’s Fund Planning and Monitoring Specialist, Nura Shehu commended the Katsina State Government for what it described as its commitment to improving the nutritional well-being of children, women and vulnerable households.

He said the 2025 nutrition figures showed that, despite progress in reducing acute malnutrition, the state continued to face substantial challenges.

The organisation said the 46.3 percent stunting rate and 25.8 percent underweight prevalence demonstrated the need for sustained investment in prevention, early detection, and treatment.

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“While the decline in acute malnutrition is encouraging, the continued high prevalence of stunting and underweight demonstrates that substantial challenges remain,” he said.

The UNICEF insisted that nutrition during the first years of life has far-reaching implications for children’s physical growth, cognitive development, school readiness and future productivity noting that the 2026 survey would help the government identify vulnerable populations, service gaps and areas requiring urgent intervention.

UNICEF also lamposted the importance of data quality, urging supervisors and enumerators to strictly follow the approved SMART methodology and ensure accurate measurements and interviews.

“The credibility of any nutrition intervention begins with credible information,” the organisation said.

The International Rescue Committee and ALIMA Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Mohammed Bashir equally pledged continued support for Katsina’s efforts in tackling malnutrition and improve the health of vulnerable populations.

The organisations observed that the 2025 nutrition figures underscored the importance of continuous monitoring and timely evidence, particularly for communities facing poverty, food insecurity, and other vulnerabilities.

They remarked that the 2026 survey would provide critical information on child nutrition, morbidity, mortality, maternal nutrition, infant feeding practices, and coverage of key interventions.

IRC and ALIMA urged stakeholders to prioritise data quality, community participation, security, and strict adherence to the SMART methodology.

They also stressed the importance of translating the findings into meaningful action.

The Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Katsina State, Hon Rabo Tambaya, speaking on behalf of the 34 local government chairmen, pledged the councils’ support for the survey.

He said local governments were closest to communities and, therefore, had an important role in mobilising households and community leaders.

“The success of any nutrition programme ultimately depends on our ability to understand the realities facing our communities,” he stressed.

He assured the survey teams of support in accessing selected communities and urged residents to provide accurate information.

He also said the councils would work with security agencies and traditional institutions to facilitate the safe conduct of the exercise.

Stakeholders at the flag-off agreed that the ultimate test of the 2026 SMART Survey would not be the production of another report, but whether its findings lead to better targeting of resources and measurable improvements in the nutritional well-being of Katsina’s children and women.