The Kaduna State Government, in collaboration with UNICEF and other development partners, has inaugurated Local Government Area (LGA) Aid Diversion Task Force Committees to strengthen accountability and transparency in the distribution of nutrition and health commodities across the state.
The inauguration brought together local government officials, health secretaries, nutrition officers, law enforcement agencies, and community stakeholders from various LGAs in Kaduna State.
Speaking on behalf of the Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Kaduna, Dr. Gerida Birukila, the UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Chinwe Eziefe, said the initiative became necessary to address diversion and misuse of nutrition and health supplies meant for vulnerable populations, especially women and children.
She explained that nutrition commodities, including Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), remain essential in the treatment of children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition and must reach intended beneficiaries without interference.
According to Eziefe, the Kaduna State Government has contributed about N750 million for the procurement of RUTF, while UNICEF matched the contribution on a one-to-one basis.
She added that Governor Uba Sani also approved an additional N350 million for the procurement of nutrition commodities, which UNICEF equally matched, with distribution processes already underway.
Eziefe stressed that the newly inaugurated committees would ensure accountability in the distribution and utilization of the commodities at the grassroots level.
“When government commits resources in such magnitude, there must be accountability to ensure that the commodities reach the people they are meant for,” she said.
She further explained that similar committees had already been established at the state level, involving ministries, departments, agencies, and law enforcement institutions to detect, investigate, and report cases of diversion or misuse.
Speaking during the event, the Vice Chairman of Zaria Local Government Area, Abdullahi Abba, described aid diversion as the misappropriation of humanitarian or development assistance through theft, interception, or unlawful distribution of relief materials intended for vulnerable communities.
He said the issue had become a major concern that required collective action from all stakeholders.
“The importance of this issue cannot be overemphasized. We must work together to stop diversion and ensure interventions get to the right people,” he said.
Also speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board, the state Nutrition Officer, Muhammad Tukur, described the inauguration as a call to action aimed at strengthening collaboration, implementation, and monitoring of nutrition interventions across the state.
The Health Secretary of Makarfi Local Government Area noted that diversion of nutrition and health commodities had negatively affected service delivery over the years.
“This committee is something we have truly needed for a long time because diversion has been affecting healthcare delivery across the state,” the Health Secretary said.
The task force committees are expected to detect, investigate, and report cases of diversion and misuse of nutrition and health supplies from the state to community level.
Participants at the meeting expressed optimism that the committees would improve transparency, accountability, and efficient delivery of healthcare and nutrition services to vulnerable populations across Kaduna State.
