- As 625 Under-05 Kids Die In Six Months
- Experts, Citizens Blame Govt’s Inaction
A surge in severe malnutrition has hit Katsina State months after the Federal Government quietly halted the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, which previously provided daily meals to about 10 million Nigerian children.
The programme was suspended in 2024 without a transition plan, leaving millions of vulnerable children exposed to hunger and nutritional deprivation.
OSUN DEFENDER recalls that the programme and other social intervention programmes that cared for the poor and the needy was stopped, after a corruption scandal involving former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.
Findings by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) indicate that 652 children under the age of five died from malnutrition-related complications in MSF-supported facilities across Katsina between January and June 2025.
Within the same period, MSF treated nearly 70,000 malnourished children, while 10,000 were hospitalised in critical condition
In Mashi Local Government Area, malnutrition prevalence has risen beyond 30 per cent, crossing global emergency thresholds.
The global health aid agency also documented a 208 per cent increase in nutritional oedema cases, the most severe and deadliest form of malnutrition, compared to the same period in 2024
The organisation further revealed that out of 750 mothers of malnourished children screened, over 50 per cent were acutely malnourished, while 13 per cent suffered from severe acute malnutrition, worsening infant survival chances and deepening the cycle of hunger.
Experts have linked the crisis to the removal of social safety nets, rising food prices and worsening insecurity.
UNICEF data also show that Nigeria’s burden of Severe Acute Malnutrition doubled from 1.5 million children in 2024 to nearly 3 million in 2025, with northern states such as Katsina accounting for a significant share.
One health worker noted online that, “This is not just about charity or NGOs. This is a governance failure. NGOs can only respond to crises; only governments can prevent them.”
Another pointed out that while data analysis and early warning systems exist, they are meaningless without the political will and financial commitment to act on them.
Several contributors also linked the malnutrition surge directly to organised crime, rural violence and displacement, which continue to push more families into deep poverty.
Surveys conducted ahead of the lean season showed that over 90 per cent of households in some areas had already reduced their daily meals, raising concerns about worsening conditions in the coming months.
Governor Dikko Radda said his administration remained committed to addressing the rising malnutrition crisis through a coordinated intervention strategy.
He noted that no child deserved to die of hunger and pledged that the state would intensify efforts to tackle the situation at the community and health facility levels.
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
