By Philip Yatai

Mr Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has promised to increase funds allocation for nutrition intervention in the FCT Administration’s 2025 budget.

Wike made the promise when the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) visited him in Abuja on Tuesday.

The minister particularly commended the agency’s Capacity Development for Nutrition Improvement Project (CADNIP), in FCT and open defecation projects, which he described as a huge success.

He said that to sustain the successes, the FCTA would improve the budgetary allocation for nutrition intervention in the 2025, but with a caveat on transparency and accountability in utilisation of the funds.

He pointed out that improved nutrition was key to achieving the goals in health, education and agriculture among other sectors.

“Therefore, if we could add more funds, it will go a long way in improving the standard of service delivery in major sectors,” he said.

Wike further requested the continuation of JICA intervention in education, particularly to improve the teaching of mathematics and other science subjects in FCT public schools.

Mr Ubokutom Nyah, Mandate Secretary, Economic planning, Revenue Generation and Public Private Partnership, disclosed Wike’s approval for the establishment of Nutrition Department in the secretariat and Nutrition Unit across FCTA secretariat and agencies.

Nyah pointed out that the FCTA has been struggling to establish the nutrition department to serve as the focal point for the operation of nutrition programmes and projects.

“This was the clog that was holding the success and implementation of nutrition project in the FCTA.

“It is part of the requirement for the smooth implementation of the JICA nutrition project and other nutrition interventions,” he said.

Also, Dr Udo Atang, Head of FCT Civil Service, said that the approval for the establishment of the nutrition department has been forwarded to Common Services.

Atang explained that the measure was for the department to be properly reflected in the FCTA’s organisational structure.

He said that recommendations for appointment of the Head of the Nutrition Department and other deployments would be forwarded to the minister for approval.

According to him, the multisectoral approval would enhance the structure and improve nutrition programme coordination and implementation in the FCTA.

Earlier, Mr Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Nigeria, said that the nutrition and open defecation projects were among several projects being implemented by JICA in FCT.

Kazuyoshi, who described the projects as a huge success, solicited for more collaboration to deepen the results-oriented projects and impact more FCT communities.

On his part, Mr Sonoyama Hideki, Chief Project Advisor, CADNIP, explained that the project, earlier designed for implementation from March 2019 to February 2024 has been extended to October 2024.

Hideki said that the project targeted 11,000 pregnant women, children under two years, and mothers.

He said that the project goal was to develop an effective food-based nutrition improvement approach in rural areas.

He added that the project was also designed to strengthen the multisectoral structure of FCTA to adopt the approach.

The chief project advisor said that at the end of the five-year project, minimum dietary diversity for children from six to 23 months increased from 31.8 per cent to 49.8 per cent.

He added that minimum meal frequency for the same age group increased from 81.5 per cent to 86.9 per cent, while minimum dietary diversity for mothers and pregnant women increased from 41.3 per cent to 54.1 per cent. (NAN)

Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi