Kebbi governor faults report on malnourished children

By Ibrahim Bello

Kebbi governor Nasir Idris has decried what he described as false narratives on the number of malnourished children being admitted for treatment at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)-supported Malnutrition Stabilisation and Treatment Centres in Maiyama General Hospital in Maiyama Local Government Area of the state.

Nasir Idris said this on Sunday during a visit to the facility which, according to him, was to personally verify the authenticity of a recent viral report claiming that no fewer than 400 malnourished children are admitted daily in the centre.

But the governor said his findings revealed that the report is false.

“ It has now come to light that 1, 406 children have been admitted here since September 2024 when the centre was established, this is a fair ratio.

”It is simply not possible that 400 children are admitted daily. If that were true, it will mean over 2,000 children are being admitted every week, which is clearly unrealistic,” Idris said.

He also expressed confidence in the credibility and professionalism MSF while urging the NGO not to allow its activities to be manipulated for political motives.

”We recognise the important work MSF is doing around the world and in Kebbi State in particular.

”However, this particular report is misleading and amounts to fake news, MSF must not allow its platform to be used to spread falsehood or to malign the state government,” he said.

The governor added that while his administration welcomed constructive criticisms from well-meaning individuals and organisations, it would not condone false narratives aimed at discrediting its efforts.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to support MSF in its humanitarian and medical interventions across the state.

“ MSF is a recognised partner of both the United Nations and the Federal Government. We appreciate the scope of its health interventions in Kebbi and we remain committed to collaborating with them for the good of our people,” he said.

Idris reiterated that his administration remained responsive to uplifting the well-being of all residents, and would continue implementing people-oriented projects aimed at improving healthcare delivery and general development.

The governor expressed happiness that the head office of the organisation had dismissed the false publication of the malnutrition figures in one of the National Newspapers .

Earlier, Dr Hamza Bello of MSF, showed the governor round the centre where Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Centres.

Also speaking during the visit, the Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Yunusa Isma’il, commended MSF for its remarkable efforts in improving the health indices of the state.

He also thanked the governor for the timely and proactive visit, which he described as significant. (NAN).