· FCTA seeks international assistance
By Sarah NEGEDU
Abuja, the nation’s capital city, is struggling to meet the nutritional needs of over 3,000 households that have migrated into the Federal Capital Territory following the onset of security challenges in some parts of the country.
Nigeria has been grappling with issues of insecurity, especially in the North East and North Western region, where activities of bandits and terrorists have displaced hundreds of communities.
The country is among the ten countries with the largest number of IDPs globally, with a total of 3,397,531 Nigerians said to have been displaced from their homes as at December 2023.
The number is spread across 14 states and more than 3,900 locations, with the North-East having 2,305,335 internally displaced persons, while the North-Central and North-West have a total of 1,092,196 IDPs between them.
The FCT Emergency Management Department, FEMD, recently disclosed that over 3, 000 households, and still counting, comprising internally displaced persons have chosen to re-integrate into communities in the FCT.
The department is seeking assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, in the empowerment and nutrition of displaced vulnerable in the FCT.
Acting Director General of FEMD, Engr Abdulrahman Mohammed made the appeal when he led the management team of the department on a courtesy visit to JICA.
He commended JICA’s project on Capacity Development for Nutrition Improvement in the FCT, CADNIP, for improving the nutritional knowledge of rural people, dietary diversification and better hygiene and sanitation practices.
The FEMD boss while commending JICA for its collaboration with FEMD to empower IDPs in the FCT, asked that the Department be involved in the second phase of the CADNIP project scheduled for October next year.
Mohammed also appealed for training of FEMD staff as well as the provision of disaster fighting equipment to help improve its international activities in the FCT.
Responding, the Chief Representative of JICA, Yuzurio Susumu, promised to include FEMD the Phase 2 of its CADNIP project.
He disclosed that under the project farmers received training on improved agronomic practices which enabled them to increase their farm productivity.
Also speaking, senior programme officer, Dr Umar Halilu, explained that though JICA was prioritizing it’s interventions in the North East, it would however consider the request of FEMD especially as it relates to displaced vulnerable.
Recall that results of a survey conducted on the nutritional status of women and children in Durumi IDPs settlement, in 2021, showed a high level of stunting, underweight and wasting in children between 0 – 59 months.
Low minimum meal frequency, low minimum dietary diversity and micronutrient deficiency were also observed.
JICA also observed that compliance to intake of multiple micronutrient supplement and iron folate supplementation was low in pregnant women and women of reproductive age,
Low minimum dietary diversity of below four food groups (vegetables and fruits, staples, legumes, animal source) was observed.
