NLNG lifts Bonny Zonal Hospital with 10-bed centre - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

The Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has donated a 10-bed Holding Centre, at the Bonny Zonal Hospital as part of its support to the host community towards fight against spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), reports NaijaAgroNet.

This handover was done on Tuesday on the heels of the donation of two vehicles, medical and other materials to the Rivers State Government in Port Harcourt recently. 

The company had earlier revealed that it was committing to N1 billion in various interventions in the State.

Handing over the facility to the Hospital, Tony Attah, NLNG’s Managing Director, represented by Godson Dienye, the company’s Manager, Community Relations, said the sustained resolve to actualise NLNG’s vision of “helping to build a better Nigeria” continues to inspire the company’s passion to establish a healthy society. 

He said: “This has been the thrust of all of Nigeria LNG’s socio-economic intervention programmes in the community and I am happy to note that our efforts are well received and are impacting Bonny and our other host communities positively. 

While receiving the facility, Rivers State Commissioner of Health, Professor Princewill Chike, represented by The Medical Officer in charge of the Zonal Hospital Bonny, Dr. Babep, said that the Holding Centre will be efficiently managed to promote good health and secure the safety of residents of Bonny Local Government Area, just as the Bonny Community Health Insurance Programme (BCHIP), a partnership between NLNG and the State Government, is already doing.

He stated further that “NLNG has consistently proven to be a reliable development partner through its numerous corporate social responsibility initiatives which have had direct bearing on the well-being of the masses. Only recently, the company demonstrated once again that it is a friend to Rivers State by its donation of medical equipment worth over $500,000 dollars to the State Government to manage the coronavirus pandemic. The Company also pledged an intervention at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital worth $1Million.” 

Other items donated by NLNG for use on Bonny Island include one oxygen bank consisting of 5 bull nose cylinders, 10 drip stands, 10,000 one-fit N95 health care particulate respirator and surgical masks, 25,000 surgical masks, 50,000 nitrile gloves, 12,500 hooded coveralls with boots, 70 respirators, 5 suction machines, 3 single air conditioners for consulting rooms, 5 split air conditioners for wards, wall mounted hand sanitizers and 10 patient monitors. 

NLNG ‘s other programs to boost the healthy well-being of people on Bonny Island include the Bonny Malaria Eradication Programme instituted in 2019 to cut malaria-related mortality among women and children under-five to zero and make Bonny Island Nigeria’s first malaria-free zone.

NLNG stated that its contribution to the fight against the pandemic is in line with its vision of “…helping to build a better Nigeria”.

Isaac Oyimah/Editor
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Nutrition Society demands scaling up social protection for citizens, COVID-19 patients - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

The Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN) has called on the Federal Government to scale up social protection for the citizens, insisting that nutrition as part of healthcare that deserves requisite attention especially for COVID-19 infected persons, reports NaijaAgroNet.

NSN President, Dr Bartholomew I. C. Brai in a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet, said there is need to intensify interventions on community against acute malnutrition and similar ongoing interventions.

This, he said, could be done by both the government and stakeholders alike towards the provision of food and nutrition support to indigent households, mostly COVID-19 patients with attention on energy, protein and fluid balance maintenance.

The Society advised that following high mortality among older people affected by COVID-19, “adequate nutrition and management of secondary conditions cum infection of the older population should be ensured.”

They also called for proper use of personal protective equipment and hand santisizers by all health workers and support staff to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“Likewise, periodic disinfection of surface systems including doorknobs, doorways, tables, shopping cart/basket handles, elevator buttons and scales in supermarkets, market stalls, clinics, and other public facilities should be enforced,” he advised.

NSN noted that following loss of purchasing power, food price hikes, and panic purchase already exist, stressing that the government should make efforts to stabilize food supply and regulate food prices.

“Suggested measures include the release of food stocks from grain reserves, tax relief on food items, relaxation of the restriction on food distribution channels, and scale-up support for smallholder farmers. In addition, food surveillance system,” the president said.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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COVID-19 Lockdown: Lagos opens markets with guidelines - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet: 

The Lagos State Government has issued new guidelines for the reopening of markets and shopping malls in the State as part of efforts to curb the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, following Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu's announcement on the gradual easing of the lockdown in Lagos from next week Monday, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting last Thursday in Alausa, Ikeja, the Honourable Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Dr. Wale Ahmed, reiterated that all markets and stores in the various Local Governments/Local Council Development Areas across the metropolis will be allowed to open from 9 a.m till 3 p.m on selected days.

He emphasised that everyone attending these markets and stores will be mandated to observe precautionary measures such as physical distancing and high levels of personal and respiratory hygiene.

Dr. Ahmed declared that malls will also be allowed to open with the proviso that stores will maintain a 60% occupancy capacity at any point in time, while also ensuring that a two-meter physical distancing is maintained between a shopper and the next person in the store.

The Commissioner maintained that food handlers must also wear masks and hand gloves in markets at all times, directing that shop owners must provide hand sanitisers and wash hands with soap and running water at all entry points, conduct temperature checks on customers and ensure that nobody is exempted from the process.

According to him, the guidelines are proactive measures put in place by the Government to curtail a possible spread of the deadly virus among traders in markets places and malls when the gradual ease of the lockdown commences on Monday, May 4, 2020.

Ahmed disclosed that stakeholders at the meeting, which was attended by the Iyaloja/President, General Association of Commodity Market Women and Men of Nigeria, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo and other major market leaders in the State, unanimously agreed that effective from Monday, 4th May 2020, food sellers and other ware traders should operate on alternate days in all markets across the State.

“In essence, those trading in other items and wares apart from food will only be allowed to trade on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while all food and farm produce sellers will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays”, the Commissioner explained.

While stressing that there will be zero tolerance for all forms of street-trading, Ahmed disclosed that all Market leaders also promised to ensure that their members abide by all the stated guidelines, while the Ministry, Chairmen of LGs/LCDAs, Office of Iyaloja-General and the State Enforcement Agencies will ensure strict compliance with the directives.

Isaac Oyimah/Editor

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World Malaria Day 2020: AMMREN seeks collaboration with state, non state actors - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

The African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) have called for more collaboration among the state actors and non-state actors to strengthening the war against malaria on the continent, reports NaijaAgroNet.

AMMREN in its 2020 World Malaria Day message, which took place on 25th April every year, noted that the commemoration is a global event to create awareness on the control and elimination of malaria. The day also serves as a time to take stock of the gains made so far on malaria control and the gaps remaining to fill to save the lives of many vulnerable populations, especially children from a preventable and treatable disease.
NaijaAgroNet gathered that the commemoration of 2020 World Malaria Day is, for the second year being celebrated under the theme: “Zero Malaria Starts With Me”.

AMMREN pointed out the celebration this year was unique, as for the first time, it was devoid of the usual fanfare, while people remain indoors and online meetings take centre stage. The world is currently facing a very challenging time, coping with the emergence of a new pandemic, COVID 19. The disease has brought in its wake a strain on national budgets and health systems including upheavals on the entire socio-economic lives of people and nations across the globe.

Not only are huge resources being channeled into the fight against the coronavirus disease but health workers are working under severe stress, health systems and medical supplies are overstretched, job losses are on the rise and businesses are shutting down due to the pandemic.

Worse of all, resources that should be going into handling other preventable diseases such as malaria are most likely being diverted to deal with the current pandemic. The African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), a Pan-African media advocacy group of journalists and scientists working together to rid the world of malaria, is urging all stakeholders not to abandoned the fight against malaria.

The Network warns against diversion of funds set aside for activities such as prevention, diagnosis, treatment and control of malaria. Doing so will have serious implications for the elimination of malaria or even lead to a resurgence of malaria cases, especially in the malaria-endemic countries in Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed similar concerns in a statement released in March. The world body urged countries to ensure the continuity of malaria services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the WHO statement, Dr. Pedro Alonso, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme, stated that as the COVID-19 continues its rapid spread, WHO would like to send a clear message to malaria-affected countries in Africa and adds that access to life-saving malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment services should not be compromised in the efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19. Doing so will threaten to reverse decades of hard-fought progress against malaria. “We cannot leave anyone behind.”

“Do not scale back your planned malaria prevention, diagnostic and treatment activities. If someone living in a place with malaria develops a fever, he or she should seek diagnosis and care as soon as possible,” he added.

The RBM Partnership to End Malaria, in a similar statement in March this year, added its voice by calling on countries to maintain the momentum in the fight against malaria, saying current investments in malaria are saving almost 600,000 lives and preventing nearly 100 million cases a year.

Data from RBM Partnership to End Malaria shows that 11 countries, together, account for approximately 70% of the world’s malaria burden: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, India, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. In 2018 alone, 405,000 people were said to have died from the disease, with more than 90% of cases and deaths concentrated in Africa.

Pregnant women and children continue to be hardest hit. An estimated 11 million pregnant women living in 38 African countries were infected with malaria in 2018; as a result, nearly 900 000 babies were born with a low birth weight – a major risk factor for infant mortality. Globally, children under the age of 5 accounted for about two-thirds of all malaria deaths in 2018. Records also show that every two minutes a child still dies of malaria.

AMMREN calls for stepped-up action across all endemic countries, particularly in countries hardest hit by malaria. They should fully embrace the “High burden to high impact” approach, spearheaded by WHO and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria. The approach provides a response that can help ensure future success in malaria control and eventual elimination.

National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCP) should work with various partners, especially local authorities to readily make available supplies of malaria test kits. This will scale up rapid diagnosis across all public health facilities from the lowest health facility to the bigger ones to prevent presumptuous treatment of malaria cases and the proper diagnosis of other febrile illnesses for proper health intervention.

Isaac Oyimah/Editor

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Molfix maker lifts Lagos, Ogun States over COVID-19 - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet: 

The makers of MOLFIX, BEBEM and several hygiene brands, Hayat Kimya Nigeria, has lifted Lagos and Ogun States on their fight to curb the Coronavirus or COVID-19 effect on the citizenry with donation of hygienic products, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The donation, NaijaAgroNet gathered included MOLPED Sanitary Pad, FAMILIA Toilet Paper and targeted at boosting the states’ efforts and commitment to treating the existing cases, and flattening the curve of the novel virus spread.

Managing Director, Hayat Kimya Nigeria, Mr Doruk Emiroglu noted that as a responsible corporate citizen of Nigeria, and in order to encourage efforts targeted at arresting further spread of the virus the donation has become imperative.



“We commend the Lagos and Ogun State government’s efforts, especially the proactive measures and leadership that the state has provided for the country at large, especially the management style, information dissemination and recovery recorded so far in the fight against Covid-19.

“We also recognise that the state resources are limited to fight the spread of the dreaded virus, isolate, treat the infected people and provide relief to majority of Nigerian citizens who make their living by going out on a daily basis, but are now compelled to stay at home.”

Mr Emiroglu further said that they donated two trucks loaded with hygienic products, namely MOLPED Sanitary Pad and FAMILIA Toilet Paper.

"As our modest support to Lagos and Ogun States governments in support of their laudable efforts. This is to ensure adequate healthcare products at the centres for treatment of people infected with Covid-19,” Emiroglu said.

Uj. N. Dominic/Editor

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Photo: L-R: Dr. Fred Oladeinde - Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Rasak Sulaimon; Quality Assurance Manager, Hayat Kimya Nigeria, and Miss Venessa Ebifemi, Corporate Affairs and Communication Chief, Hayat Kimya Nigeria, during the donation of hygienic products to the Lagos State government, recently.

COVID-19 lockdown: NAFDAC gives guidance on donation, marketing breastmilk substitutes - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet: 

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has given guidance on donations and marketing of BreastMilk Substitutes (BMS) for infants, reports NaijaAgroNet.

NAFDAC in a public statement available to NaijaAgroNet, said this guidance has become imperative in pursuant to provisions of the NAFDAC Act, CAP N1 LFN 2004 and the Marketing (BreastMilk Substitutes) ACT CAP M.5 LFN 2004 and the BMS regulations, in keeping with the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (BMS).

Hence, NAFDAC is providing clarifications regarding donations of breastmilk substitutes (BMS) in the context of lockdown and financial barriers occasioned by the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Companies that market foods for infants and young children (breastmilk substitutes), NAFDAC said, should not provide free products, samples or reduced-price foods for infants (below 6 months old) to families through health workers or health facilities, except as supplies distributed through government or officially sanctioned health programmes.NaijaAgroNet gathered that the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (BMS) required that products distributed in such programmes should not display company brands.

“In this specific instance, the unbranded packaging is to focus on the need to support the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, where necessary in terms of infant and young child feeding, rather than use the pandemic as a platform for brand promotion,” NAFDAC official said.

Isaac Oyimah/Editor

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Schools open in Madagascar amidst local cure for COVID-19 - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet: 

Schools in Madagascar, today, Wednesday, April 29, 2020, resumed normal classes following consistent flattening of the curve on the ChineseVirus-19 also known Coronavirus or COVID-19 in the country and development of cure locally, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The local cure known as CVO or COVID Organic, NaijaAgroNet gathered was developed by the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research.

The Madagascar President, Mr. Andry Rajaolina presented the local remedy to the press on Monday, with a sip of the product live on Television, which NaijaAgroNet also gathered contained Artemisia, a plant produced on Big Island to fight curb malaria.

According to President Rajaolina, “All trials and tests have been conducted and its effectiveness in reducing the elimination of symptoms has been proven for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 in Madagascar.”

President Rajaolina was also quoted as saying during the public launch on Monday that the medicine cured two COVID-19 cases, as prelude to the proclamation.

In addition, NaijaAgroNet gathered that a Presidential decree was proclaimed on COVID-organics, making it forthwith, mandatory for children returning to school on Wednesday.

The COVID-Organics, he pointed out, will be distributed free of charge “to our most vulnerable compatriots and sold at very low prices to others. All profits will be donated to IMRA to finance scientific research,” the president wrote on Twitter…

“I’m convinced that, in fact history will prove us, but today there are already two cases that have been cured with the Covid-organics, but we’ll actually see what happens next.

“Covid Organics will be used in profilaxis, i.e. preventive, but clinical observations have shown a trend towards its effectiveness in curative, other clinical studies are currently underway,” he stressed at the launch.

The president has previously made claims about herbal remedies despite scientific opinion that there is currently no cure for COVID-19 and that any experimental formula should be rigorously tested to see if it is safe and effective.

As of April 28, 2020, Madagascar’s COVID-19 case statistically stood at 128 confirmed cases whereas over 70 recovered cases with no deaths.

Isaac Oyimah/Editor

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Pix: President Andry Rajaolina

Nigerian university commences clinical trial of herb-based COVID-19 medicine - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

The Federal University of Jigawa located in Dutse (FUD), the state capital has commenced the clinical trial of a herb-based COVID-19 medicine, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Confirming this in a statement issued by the university last Friday and sighted by NaijaAgroNet, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Fatima Batul Mukhtar said they swung into action as soon as the pandemic broke in Nigeria and mandated the Directorate of Research and Development to come up with a home-grown solution to tackle the disease.

The Head of the research team, Dr. Salihu Ibrahim, was quoted as saying that the university has collaborated with traditional medical practitioners to identify and extract medicinal plants with a recorded history of use against severe fever, protracted cough, and acute pneumonia.

According to him, his team followed the time tested scientific steps of identifying, screening, and extracting the medicinal plant.

He also said the second step was the phytochemical screening and analysis of the medicinal plant where phytochemical activities were determined and analysed before the screening of the medicinal plants against microbial isolates.

He further said the evaluation of the toxicity of the medicine on experimental animals has been completed, stressing that evaluation of the acute toxicity safety profile for 28 days on experimental animals is in progress.

The head of the research team said the first clinical trials on healthy volunteers will commence on 14th May- 14th June 2020 while the clinical trial on patients with pneumonia will start on 14th June- 14th July 2020.

Isaac Oyimah/Editor


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COVID-19 palliative rice palava: Lagos commissioner lied says Northern chiefs - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet: 

The Arewa Council of Chiefs in Lagos have said the state's Commissioner of Waterfront, Architect Ahmed Kabiru Abdullahi, lied for allegedly claiming that the council had been given 'several tonnes' of rice, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The council, which said it has not received even a grain of rice from the Lagos State government, warned people to abstain from using its name to carry out fraudulent activities.

A press statement signed by the Galadiman of Lagos on behalf of the Arewa Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Aliyu Bambado, the body asked the person who announced the purported delivery of rice to prove who mandated him to approach the state government on behalf of the northerners.

He also said their attention has been drawn to a social media information credited to 4 individuals (who, as close friends of his) received several tons of bags of rice from the Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfront , Architect Ahmed Kabiru Abdullahi purportedly on behalf of Northerners in Lagos.

"We wish to set the records as follows:

1. That the Lagos State Council of Chiefs or precisely office of Sarkin Hausawa of Lagos has never delegated or nominated anyone to receive palliatives on behalf of Northerners in Lagos.

2. That the Council of Chiefs and office of Sarkin Hausawa of Lagos has not seen even a single grain of rice purportedly from either the Commissioner for Waterfront or the Lagos State Government.

3. That the fellow who made the social media broadcast on the rice allocation needs to prove who mandated him to approach the Lagos State Government on behalf of Northerners, when the Lagos Council of Chiefs, to which the Sarkin Hausawa belongs was there as the legal and constitutionally recognized body of elders.

4. That anyone who is in doubt of the limits of the powers bestowed on the the Lagos State Council of Chiefs or the office of the Sarkin Hausawan Lagos should visit the Oba of Lagos to have himself educated

5. Any attempt to use the name and office of the Lagos State Council of Chiefs or the office of Sarkin Hausawa for extortion will not be tolerated.

6. That it is totally unacceptable for any person or group of persons to indulge in cutting corners or going through the backdoor to do underhand deals capable of ridiculing the image and respectability of the office of Sarkin Hausawa.

We therefore wish to issue stern warning to the Commissioner for Waterfront to be mindful of allowing his office to be used by shadowy groups of people, who have no legal or Constitutional recognition, as this would amount a collaboration to defraud the government. We hope all stakeholders will join hands to stop this abhorrent attitude.

We wish to reiterate that henceforth anyone found using the name of our respected traditional institution to take advantage of anything meant for public good will be faced with legal action.

We make bold to say that, at an appropriate time soon, we will roll out the new penalities for acts that are confirmed to be dubious by all standards.

Most importantly, if the Lagos State Government wishes to convey anything that has to do with the legitimate rights of the Northerners resident in the State ( just like this lockdown palliative), it should reach out to the Council of Chiefs through the only known Sarkin Hausawa. We say this because anything worth doing is worth doing well, and the palliative is not a privilege but a right.

Like we once pointed out, the authentic Chairman of Arewa Council of Chiefs, Lagos State is Alhaji Aminu Yaro Dogara and has his Deputies, who is also the Sarkin Fulani of Lagos - Alhaji (Dr) Mohammed Bambado; and Sarkin Hausawan Idi-Araba remains Alhaji Idris Haruna.

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CS-SUNN demands inclusion of nutrition in COVID-19 response - ITREALMS

NaijaAgroNet:

The Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has demanded for the inclusion of nutrition in the federal government response to the ChineseVirus-19 also known as Coronavirus or COVID-19, reports NaijaAgronet.

Just recently the world has been faced with the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), now declared a world-wide emergency. As at 24^th April 2020, the world has recorded 2,709,483 cases and 190,872 deaths. Nigeria, recorded its first case on 27th February 2020 and has since, seen a steady rise in number of confirmed cases. Today, Nigeria has a total of 981 cases with 31 deaths in more than 20 states including the Federal Capital Territory.

The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential, not only to cause thousands of deaths as seen globally but, to also unleash morbidity and economic crisis, posing unprecedented challenges to food systems in Nigeria and elsewhere. This virus could invariably have lasting effects on people, their nutrition, healthcare, and food systems across the globe.

CS-SUNN commends the Federal Government, so far for coming up with preventive, containment and recovery measures since the outbreak of the virus in the country. The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Presidential Task force on COVID-19, the Federal Ministry of Health and all relevant bodies and agencies have, so far, worked out and are implementing a National Response Strategy to tackle the menace. This has seen Nigeria achieve some positive results in the containment of the virus; the successful treatment and recovery of 197 patients in the country.

With the country’s current childhood under-nutrition indicator put at 37% stunting, 7% wasting and 23% underweight (National Demographic and Health Survey, 2018) and about 2.6 million children under the age of five threatened by malnutrition (2018 Nigeria Nutrition Health Survey), CS-SUNN foresees an increase in these indicators during and after this COVID-19 Pandemic, if government does not beam its focus on continued fight against malnutrition. The alliance recalls the forecast by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)[1] before the COVID-19 outbreak that about 7 million Nigerians in 16 Northern States plus the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would be in food and nutrition crisis between June and August 2020. CS-SUNN fears that affected persons might outnumber the FAO prediction at the end of the COVID-19 crisis.

Governments, businesses, civil society and international agencies need to take urgent and coordinated action to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic turning into a global food and humanitarian crisis. CS-SUNN advises that in the rush to stall the spread of COVID-19, Nigeria should consider the disastrous increases in malnutrition in both the immediate and long term. Communities, vulnerable groups especially women dealing with malnutrition and children suffering Severe Acute Malnutrition, are more likely to be affected because of the pandemic. Since malnutrition weakens the immune system, these populations are more susceptible to contracting COVID-19.

CS-SUNN further notes that the spread of COVID-19, with attendant measures put in place by government to curb it, is now threatening many Nigerians already made vulnerable by food and nutrition insecurity, malnutrition and the effects of conflict and other disasters. There is a “hunger virus” that is slowly ravaging the most vulnerable groups in the country. Though Nigeria, like all other nations of the world, is navigating uncertain times, there is urgent need for governments, at all levels, to prioritize nutrition in COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. The alliance restates that adequate nutrition is key to building immunity, protection against illness and infection, and supporting recovery from illnesses. Efforts to preserve and promote adequate nutrition, including Exclusive breastfeeding, must be part of COVID-19 prevention strategies to build the resilience of individuals and communities in Nigeria. Healthy and adequate diets are key for boosting immunity and preventing non-communicable diseases that are risk factors for higher COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Protecting the poor and most vulnerable from hunger and malnutrition will be necessary for COVID-19 response efforts to succeed in Nigeria.

PRACTICAL ACTIONS FOR KEEPING NUTRITION AT THE CENTER OF FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY EFFORTS IN NIGERIA:

·         Integration of Nutrition Specific and Nutrition Sensitive interventions in Nigeria’s COVID-19 response by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.

·         The PTF employ a multi-stakeholder and multi-Sectoral approach towards combating the pandemic with focus on improving the nutritional status of Nigerians especially the vulnerable members of the society.

·         Implementation of Social protection measures for the poor and most marginalized including refugees and Internally Displaced Persons. The poor and most marginalized are more vulnerable to COVID-19 and must be supported to protect themselves from the virus and to stay resilient throughout the crisis and after.

·         Sustain the functioning of local food systems in Nigeria. The alliance calls on governments, at National and sub-national levels, to support small scale farmers, small and medium sized enterprises as well as local Civil Society Organizations to continue to produce and deliver affordable, adequate, safe and nutritious foods and to minimize the impact of lock-downs and quarantines on planting, harvesting, food processing and access to markets for suppliers and consumers.

·         Ensure adequate domestic funding for nutrition programmes and interventions as captured in the 2020 annual budgets at the national and sub-national levels. CS-SUNN commends state governments like; Lagos, Kano, Niger, Kaduna, and Nasarawa, who have made provision in the 2020 budget for nutrition, and ask that they release same on time. This is to ensure continuity in the fight against malnutrition and to mitigate the burden of malnutrition in the country. States run the risk of increased burden of malnutrition if they allow the emergency situation of COVID-19 stop them from funding and implementing nutrition programs and interventions in the country.

CS-SUNN enjoins Nigerians to continue to consume adequate diets to boost their immunity and support recovery of those infected by the virus. The alliance enjoins the general public to stay safe, avoid dispersing fake news on the outbreak and wash their hands frequently. The public should also maintain social distancing, practice respiratory hygiene when they sneeze or cough and seek medical care immediately, they come down with any of the symptoms of the virus. Nigerians should maintain and observe the restriction on movements directive by the government as this is key to prevent further spread of the virus.

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[1] https://nairametrics.com/2020/03/20/7-million-nigerians-to-experience-food-shortage/

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