The Permanent Secretary of the Kaduna State Planning and Budget Commission and Chairman of the State Committee on Food and Nutrition, Mukhtar Abdullahi, has said Community Volunteers (CVs) are critical to tackling nutrition aid diversion in the state.
Abdullahi stated this during the inauguration of the Ward-Level Aid Diversion Taskforce Committee, organised by the Kaduna State Government in partnership with UNICEF on Thursday.
He described the inauguration as both an orientation and a call to duty for the volunteers.
“These volunteers are closest to the grassroots and play a vital role in ensuring nutrition commodities reach the intended beneficiaries,” he said. “They are stationed at various Primary Healthcare Centres and interact directly with women and children.”
Abdullahi urged the volunteers to closely monitor the distribution process and follow up on attendance to ensure commodities reach the “last mile beneficiaries,” especially malnourished children and vulnerable women.
He stressed that the commodities are strictly meant for women and children and must be properly utilised. He also disclosed plans to introduce a reward system for volunteers who report cases of diversion.
Also speaking, the Co-chair of the committee, Pharm. Halima Abdullahi, noted that diversion of nutrition commodities occurs in various forms, including misallocation and household misuse.
She explained that community volunteers will be deployed to health facilities across the state to monitor transparency and accountability in the distribution of nutrition commodities.
“Kaduna State has about 164 Outpatient Therapeutic Programme (OTP) sites managing Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM),” she said. “Each volunteer will be attached to a facility to conduct exit interviews with caregivers to ensure Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is given in the right quantity according to the child’s body weight and treatment guidelines.”
Halima revealed that some caregivers divert the commodities to other family members instead of the intended malnourished children. In some cases, the items are shared with older children or consumed by adults.
“The Kaduna State Government has zero tolerance for malnutrition, which is why it partnered with UNICEF to establish this task force,” she added.
A UNICEF representative, Zainab Sha’aban, urged Nutrition Focal Persons and community volunteers to work collaboratively, with mutual respect and teamwork, for the benefit of patients.
One of the participants from Kajuru Local Government Area, Danboyi Mutumi, commended the state government for prioritising children’s wellbeing and pledged to sensitise women in his community on the importance of attending Ante-Natal Care (ANC) programmes.
Another participant from Birnin Gwari, Hannatu Rabiu, said the orientation refreshed her understanding of her responsibilities and promised to ensure proper utilisation of nutrition commodities in her community.
