By Ijeoma UKAZU
The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF has said that to lift Nigerian children out of poverty, the country would need as roughly as one trillion naira.
This was made known following the release of new evidence on the situation of child deprivation in Nigeria launched recently states that approximately 54 percent of children in Nigeria are ‘multidimensionally poor’.
The reports which were launched by Vice President Yemi Osibanjo are: “The Situation Analysis of Children in Nigeria”, “The Multidimensional Child Poverty Analysis in Nigeria”, and “Monetary Child Poverty in Nigeria” prepared by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning in collaboration with UNICEF.
According to UNICEF, the Multidimensional Child Poverty Analysis using the Multidimensional Overlapping Deprivation Analysis approach reveals that children face at least three deprivations across seven dimensions of child rights including nutrition, healthcare, education, water, sanitation, adequate housing, and information.
The report found that multidimensional poverty in children is more prevalent in the rural with a 65.7 percent prevalence while urban areas had a 28.4 percent prevalence. There are also high state disparities ranging from 14.5 percent in Lagos to 81.5 percent in Sokoto.
The UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins said, “The monetary child poverty report shows that 47.4 percent of children face monetary poverty by living in households with expenditure less than N376.5 a day – national poverty line. Slight differences are observed between boys (47.98 percent) and girls (46.8 percent) while there are high geographical and state disparities (from 6.5 percent in Lagos to 91.4 percent in Sokoto).
“In Nigeria, according to the report, 24.56 percent of children face extreme poverty by living in households that spend less than $1.90 a day. The analysis indicates that the country would need as roughly as N1 trillion to lift children out of poverty.
“The Situation Analysis indicates that child poverty rate is highest among children aged 16– 17 years and least among children aged 0–five years. It notes that children are most affected by poverty because they are vulnerable and that poverty has long-term impacts on the well-being of children, even into adulthood”, Hawkins said.
Continuing, the UNICEF Representative adds that “Data is critical for effective budgeting and decision making – and the data from these surveys together paint a picture of the situation for children and families in Nigeria.
“We still have a long way to go towards ensuring the well-being of children and families in Nigeria, with persistent multi-dimensional poverty being a crucial obstacle. The findings of these reports will help guide the federal and state governments as they plan their budgets – providing evidence of where more funds need to be allocated and wisely spent.
“An analysis of the reports indicates the need for improved social protection measures to ensure that children are protected from risks, along with an expansion of access to much-needed social services. Whether looking at poverty from a monetary or non-monetary point of view, the data show that children are more likely to live in poverty than other groups.
“It is clear that we need to pay special attention to planning and programming for children, based on the policy recommendations and calls to action contained in the reports,” Peter Hawkins noted. “The data they provide offer a clear direction and key actions necessary for the realization of children’s rights in Nigeria”, UNICEF stated.
Pharmacists call for investment in herbal medicine
By Ijeoma UKAZU
A group of pharmacists under the platform of the Association of Lady Pharmacists, ALPs, has said one of its programmes on the cultivation of herbal plants, known as Project 91 could reduce capital flight and lead to medical security for the country if Nigeria increases investment in the area.
National chairman of ALPs, Victoria Ukwu, said that with the required investment, the project would achieve good health, nutrition and economic benefits, adding that it is expected to boost gross domestic income, GDI, gross domestic product, GDP and thereby grow the nation’s economy.
Ukwu said ultimately it would put Nigeria on the global map alongside China and India that currently dominate the global traditional and herbal medicine market.
She added the ALPs would be going into partnership with the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development, NIPRD, to ensure that the end products from the cultivation would be standardised to meet modern pharmaceutical needs.
The plan of the ALPs was unveiled at a media briefing to announce the ALPs 15th Bienniel National Conference with the theme: ‘Pharmaceutical Value Chain for Optimal Utilisation – Where Are We?’ in Lagos.
According to her, “ALPS plan was geared towards the development of standards to guarantee the safety of consumers; said herbal medicinal plants have shown benefits in disease disorders like sickle cell anaemia.
“The emphasis now is on agriculture,” she stated, dismissing claims that pharmacists are opposed to herbal medications. Agriculture is the focus right now. We may enlist the help of all of our governors’ wives, who are our patrons, in developing herbal/vegetable gardens across the country. This will serve to empower the women, as well as help to showcase our rich herbal resources and lead to medicine security.”
Explaining the rationale behind the cultivation of the medicinal plants, Ukwu said, “Nigeria is blessed with medicinal plants; that is why we are going into this project.” She added, “It’s a zonal thing. We have gardens in Asaba and Ogun State where we are cultivating plants of medicinal value.”
According to her, ALPs are functional in 26 states of the federation including the federal capital territory. The National Chairman said the ALPs have been partnering with some first ladies on the planting of the medicinal plants.
Ukwu said four first ladies are expected at the June conference. They include the First ladies of Lagos, Ogun, Edo and Katsina states, from whom the ALPs will be requested to provide gardens for the cultivation of the medicinal plants.
The former national chairman of ALPs, Chief Yetunde Morokundiya, explained that both traditional and orthodox medicine practitioners now work collaboratively to ensure effective health care delivery. They are no longer practising haphazardly. Traditional medicine is now being properly formulated and packaged in the measured form to ensure standardisation, she stressed.
Government departments, agencies open pad banks in offices
In celebration of the World Menstrual Health and Hygiene Day, some departments and agencies of the Nigerian government have opened what they described as pad banks for the use of female staffers.
The initiative, according to the country’s minister of women affairs, Pauline Tallen, is to cater for emergencies while at work.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mrs Tallen, disclosed this on Tuesday during a chat with the media, students and other stakeholders in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital territory (FCT).
Mrs Tallen, according to NAN, said the gesture was aimed at creating more awareness about menstrual hygiene, in line with the theme of the annual celebration.
The 2022 theme is “Making Menstruation a Normal fact of life by 2030.”
She said: “As the coordinating ministry and the National Secretariat for Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management, we have also made remarkable progress around menstrual health and hygiene management in Nigeria.
“It is worthy to mention that some ministries through advocacy, are unveiling their Pad Banks, to cater for cases of emergency within their work environment.”
According to her, the MDAs include ministries of foreign affairs, water resources, agriculture and rural development, interior, youth and sports development and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), among others.
The minister, therefore, encouraged others, especially those in the private sector, to emulate the gesture for the wellbeing and convenience of women and young girls.
“I therefore wish to use this opportunity to call on other MDAs and other stakeholders, including airlines, schools and security agencies to join in the campaign to make menstruation a normal part of life, by setting up Pad Banks in their spaces.
“Together, if we strengthen our collaboration, existing structures to end violence against children, to secure a brighter future for our country will be sustained,” she said.
Erika Godson, Deputy Country Representative, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), encouraged the public to see menstrual hygiene as essential for women and young girls.
On the issue of obstetrics fistula, Ms Godson called on relevant stakeholders to improve quality of services in healthcare system.
