Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has raised concerns over Nigeria’s worsening child malnutrition crisis, linking the situation to rising food, transportation and energy costs.

Atiku said economic hardship was increasingly limiting the ability of families to provide adequate and nutritious meals for their children, warning that the impact of the cost-of-living crisis was being felt most severely by vulnerable households.

In a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku cited nutrition figures showing that 41.1 per cent of Nigerian children under the age of five are stunted, while 19.2 per cent are severely stunted.

He noted that the situation was more severe in the North-West, where stunting affects 58.2 per cent of children.

The Nutrition Society of Nigeria has also raised concerns about the scale of malnutrition in the country, reporting that nearly two million Nigerian children are affected by severe acute malnutrition, with only about two in every 10 receiving treatment.

Atiku said the figures must be considered against the growing financial pressures confronting Nigerian households as the cost of food and other basic necessities continues to consume a significant portion of family incomes.

“This is the most heartbreaking face of the cost-of-living crisis. Behind every statistic is a Nigerian mother struggling to decide what her children can eat, how much they can eat and how often they can eat,” he said.

“A child does not understand inflation figures. A child only knows whether there is food on the table.”

The former vice president also linked rising fuel and transportation costs to the increasing prices of food and other essential goods, arguing that higher energy costs affect the entire supply chain from farms to markets.

According to him, the cost of transporting agricultural produce, operating small businesses and moving goods to markets ultimately translates into higher prices for consumers.

“When fuel becomes expensive, transporting tomatoes from the farm becomes expensive.

Taking rice to the market becomes expensive.

Moving children to school becomes expensive.

“And eventually, the additional cost arrives at the dinner table,” Atiku added.

The National Bureau of Statistics currently puts Nigeria’s food inflation rate at 19.57 per cent, while the World Bank has noted that higher petrol prices can reduce household purchasing power and increase the cost of other goods and services, particularly transportation.

Atiku proposes production subsidy
Atiku said his proposed intervention in the petroleum sector was designed to address some of the cost pressures facing households through what he described as a production subsidy rather than a return to the previous system of subsidising imported petrol.

“My position is straightforward: support what Nigeria produces and refines, lower domestic production costs, and ensure that the benefit reaches the Nigerian consumer.

“This is not an import subsidy. If you do not refine in Nigeria, you do not qualify. The subsidy follows the barrel refined in Nigeria,” he said.

He said the proposal would be capped, transparently budgeted and independently audited, with the broader objective of reducing energy and transportation costs while strengthening domestic production.

According to Atiku, the policy would form part of a wider affordability programme aimed at reducing the cost of moving agricultural products and goods while improving household purchasing power.

“My production-subsidy proposal is therefore not simply a petrol policy. It is part of a broader affordability programme.

“I want the farmer to spend less getting produce to market.

I want the trader to spend less transporting goods. I want the bus driver to spend less on fuel. I want parents to have more money left after transportation so that they can put better food on the table,” he added.

Calls for stronger nutrition intervention
Atiku also called for increased investment in the treatment of severely malnourished children and stronger maternal and child nutrition programmes.

He urged governments to ensure that nutrition budgets were effectively deployed to vulnerable communities, particularly those facing the greatest levels of food insecurity and malnutrition.

His comments come amid continuing debate over the social impact of Nigeria’s economic reforms introduced since 2023, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and foreign-exchange reforms.

The World Bank has said the reforms have contributed to macroeconomic stabilisation while also placing significant short-term pressure on households, particularly poor and economically vulnerable Nigerians.

The bank has further noted that food inflation disproportionately affects poorer households, which can spend as much as 70 per cent of their income on food.

Atiku said government economic policies should ultimately be assessed by their impact on ordinary Nigerians and their ability to meet basic household needs.

“We cannot build a strong country on the bodies of hungry children,” he said.

“We cannot celebrate economic statistics while mothers are cutting meals and children are denied the nutrition they require to grow.”

He said his proposed approach was intended to lower energy and production costs, strengthen domestic production and restore household purchasing power.

“Economic policy must ultimately answer a very simple question: Can the ordinary Nigerian afford to live?” Atiku asked.

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain, Okezie Ikpeazu, has called for the revitalisation and review of existing bilateral agreements between Nigeria and Spain to reflect current economic and diplomatic priorities.

Ikpeazu made the call after presenting his Letters of Credence to King Felipe VI of Spain at the Royal Palace in Madrid on Monday, formally marking the commencement of his diplomatic assignment to the European country.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oluwafemi Adeniyi, the ambassador conveyed the greetings and best wishes of President Bola Tinubu to the Spanish monarch, government and people.

During the ceremony, Ikpeazu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening its longstanding relationship with Spain, particularly in the areas of trade and investment, energy, infrastructure, agriculture, education, culture, tourism, security and people-to-people exchanges.

He said Nigeria was prepared to work closely with the Spanish government, institutions and private sector to create new opportunities for economic partnerships while increasing trade and investment between the two countries.

Speaking later at a reception organised by the Nigerian Embassy in Madrid in his honour, Ikpeazu stressed the need to review existing bilateral agreements so they could better respond to present-day economic and diplomatic realities.

One of the agreements he specifically highlighted was the Bilateral Air Service Agreement between Nigeria and Spain.

The envoy said the agreement should be revitalised to facilitate stronger and more direct air connectivity between both countries, noting that improved air links would contribute significantly to economic cooperation, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

Ikpeazu also advocated a broader and more sustained bilateral partnership involving government institutions, private businesses, academic institutions, cultural organisations, civil society groups and communities.

According to him, stronger participation by stakeholders across different sectors would help transform the existing goodwill between Nigeria and Spain into practical and measurable outcomes.

“The relations between the two countries offer significant opportunities for expanded cooperation,” the ambassador said, while calling for wider stakeholder involvement in deepening the partnership.

Ikpeazu expressed appreciation to the Spanish government and people for the warm reception accorded him and pledged to advance Nigeria’s interests while consolidating the relationship between the two countries.

He further acknowledged the contributions of Nigerians living in Spain, describing the Nigerian community as an important bridge for promoting understanding, friendship and cooperation between the peoples of both nations.

The ambassador reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigerian Embassy in Madrid to promoting and protecting the interests of Nigerian nationals residing in Spain.

The reception, a vin d’honneur held in his honour, was attended by members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the Spanish government, business and cultural stakeholders, members of the Nigerian community, as well as friends and associates of Nigeria.

Ikpeazu said the embassy would continue to work with the Spanish government, diplomatic community, private sector, development partners and the Nigerian community to translate the goodwill between both countries into concrete results.

Nigeria and Spain have maintained longstanding bilateral relations, with cooperation covering economic, diplomatic, cultural and people-to-people ties.

The ambassador’s call for the revitalisation of existing agreements comes as both countries seek to deepen economic cooperation and explore new opportunities in trade, investment, aviation, tourism and other strategic sectors.

The Kwara State Police Command has presented cheques worth N10.6 million to the families of 19 police officers who died in the line of duty.

The cheques, valued at N10,613,786.50, were presented on Monday at the command headquarters in Ilorin by the Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi.

According to the statement, the financial intervention was part of the Nigeria Police Force’s welfare initiatives aimed at supporting dependants of personnel who lost their lives while serving the country.

Presenting the cheques to the beneficiaries, Adekimi urged the families to use the funds judiciously, particularly towards the welfare and education of their dependants.

The commissioner acknowledged that no amount of money could replace the lives of the deceased officers, but said the gesture reflected the Force’s recognition of their sacrifices and its concern for the families they left behind.

He said, “While no financial assistance can replace a loved one, this gesture demonstrates that the sacrifices of our deceased officers and the welfare of their dependants remain important to the Nigeria Police Force.”

Adekimi commended the Inspector-General of Police for sustaining welfare programmes designed to assist families of officers who died in active service.

He noted that the intervention would provide some relief to the beneficiaries while also reassuring serving police personnel that the Force remained concerned about the wellbeing of their families.

The commissioner stressed the importance of supporting the dependants of fallen officers, describing such interventions as a demonstration of institutional responsibility towards personnel who paid the ultimate price in the course of their duties.

Speaking on behalf of the 19 beneficiaries, M.T. Moshood expressed appreciation to the IGP and the Nigeria Police Force for remembering the families of the deceased officers.

Moshood described the financial assistance as a meaningful gesture, saying it showed that the families of police personnel who died in service had not been forgotten.

The Kwara State Police Command reaffirmed its commitment to personnel welfare and to honouring the sacrifices of officers who lost their lives while serving the nation.

The intervention comes as part of broader efforts by the Nigeria Police Force to provide welfare support to the dependants of deceased personnel and recognise the sacrifices made by officers in the discharge of their responsibilities.