The First Lady of Jigawa State, Hadiza Umar Namadi, has expressed deep concern over the increasing diversion and illegal sale of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) intended for the treatment of severely malnourished children in the state.
She raised the alarm while receiving the state director of the National Orientation Agency, Ahmad Tijjani Ibrahim, during a courtesy visit at the Government House in Dutse.
According to Mrs. Namadi, the Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, commonly referred to as RUTF, is a critical medical nutrition product provided by the state government and development partners to treat children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
However, she lamented that the lifesaving commodity is increasingly being diverted and sold in markets, shops and even within homes instead of reaching the vulnerable children it was meant to save.
She stressed that the therapeutic food is not an ordinary meal but a medical intervention designed specifically to treat malnourished children, warning that its misuse could have grave consequences for child survival in the state.
“The product meant to save vulnerable children is being diverted and sold in markets, shops and even in homes,” she said, urging residents to understand the importance of protecting such essential humanitarian supplies.
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The First Lady called on mothers, community leaders and other stakeholders to work together to end the illegal diversion and sale of the therapeutic food.
She also urged members of the public to report individuals involved in the practice, noting that such actions deprive severely malnourished children of the urgent treatment required to save their lives.
Mrs. Namadi further warned that continued abuse of the product could discourage development partners from sustaining their support to the state’s nutrition programmes.
Earlier in his remarks, the state director of the National Orientation Agency, Ibrahim, said the visit formed part of the agency’s ongoing advocacy campaign against the diversion and misuse of humanitarian assistance.
He explained that the agency, working in collaboration with UNICEF and the Jigawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, has intensified public awareness efforts aimed at curbing the illegal sale and diversion of RUTF across communities in the state.
The campaign, he said, seeks to protect critical nutrition support programmes and ensure that lifesaving treatment reaches the children who need it most.