The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned frontline health workers in Enugu State against diverting child nutrition supplements to local markets. Juliet Chiluwe, chief of UNICEF's Enugu Field Office, issued the caution at the end of a three-day training for health workers on the administration of Small Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS) and Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS). The training was organised by the Enugu State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ESPHCDA) and the State Ministry of Health in partnership with UNICEF. Chiluwe said the programme aims to improve child nutrition outcomes in the 17 local government areas of the state. She stressed that the supplements are intended solely for children between six and 23 months of age to prevent micronutrient deficiencies linked to stunting and malnutrition. "We advise caregivers not to divert these products. They are specifically meant for children and should be administered only to the intended beneficiaries. It is important that there are no leakages into local markets," she said. Chiluwe commended Governor Peter Mbah's administration for its collaboration with UNICEF under the Child Nutrition Fund initiative, supported by the United States Government. Ifenyinwa Ani-Osheku, executive secretary of ESPHCDA, represented by Chinaelo Nnadi, director of Disease Control and Immunisation, said the training ensures proper distribution and use of the supplements. She acknowledged the state government's counterpart funding and UNICEF's matching contribution, which enabled procurement. Nnadi added that each eligible child is expected to receive 180 sachets of the supplement over six months. Robert Chima, deputy director of Nutrition and Dietetics at the Nutrition Institute of Child Health, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, said the training seeks to reduce malnutrition and infant mortality in Enugu State and Nigeria.
UNICEF is warning health workers not to divert supplements meant for children, yet the agency is relying on the same workers to administer them without addressing past leakages. The state government provided funding for the programme, but there is no verification mechanism mentioned to track distribution. If supplements are already at risk of being sold in markets, the plan to give 180 sachets per child may not translate to actual nutrition gains. The success of the programme hinges on trust in a system that the warning itself suggests is vulnerable.
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