Malnutrition: UNICEF Dialogues With Media Executives in Nigeria on Advocacy
By Alex Uangbaoje, Kano
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday commenced a day 3-day media dialogue with Media executives across Nigeria.
The meeting which is holding in Kano state, seek to acquaint the media with malnutrition situation in Nigeria with particular reference to child malnutrition.
Explaining the importance of the, UNICEF, Communication Specialist, Geofrey Njoku, said the meeting will create opportunity for media advocacy on child malnutrition through sensitization and informing journalists about the nutrition crisis in Nigeria and issues of children well-being and survival especially in the Sahelian states.
According to him, UNICEF, expect that at the end of the dialogue, media as partners will join the advocacy for child nutrition using their various media platforms.
They will also engage in aggressive reportage on the nutrition crisis with focus on increasing government funding to combat malnutrition crisis.
Njoku, also hope that media will develop contents on child malnutrition and need to scale up child intervention.
Declaring the meeting open, Head, Child Rights Information Bureau, Federal Ministry of Information, Abuja, Mrs Rose Madu, said the noted that the meeting is very crucial at this point in time in Nigeria as malnutrition in child contributes to high infant maternal mortality.
She called on the media to present their reports in a way that will encourage the government to promptly release budgetary allocation for malnutrition.
