UNICEF has handed over therapeutic food to Gombe State to support the treatment of children suffering from acute malnutrition.
The consignment was delivered on Monday, October 19. Punch reported that it comprised 11,580 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, known as RUTF.
At the handover, the Chief of UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, said Gombe had provided N500 million in counterpart funding for nutrition interventions in 2025. An equal contribution through the Child Nutrition Fund helped finance the procurement of nutrition supplies, according to the report.
Rafique said the therapeutic food was intended for children with severe acute malnutrition, rather than for use as regular food. She urged parents and caregivers to follow health workers’ instructions and ensure children completed the prescribed treatment without interruption.
She also called for proper distribution and monitoring, saying the supplies must reach their intended beneficiaries. Community groups, including Mama2Mama and Fathers for Good Health, were urged to explain the food’s proper use to families.
The UNICEF official welcomed the state government’s creation of a committee to prevent the diversion and misuse of aid supplies.
Gombe’s Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Habu Dahiru, said the state was also expanding production of locally developed nutritious food. He said his ministry was working with the North-East Development Commission to expand the production facility to serve Gombe and neighbouring states.
Dahiru said the ministry was ready to work with UNICEF and other partners on local food production, particularly to address moderate malnutrition. He also said the state would monitor distribution of the donated therapeutic food.
Source: Punch
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