Kebbi Government Rejects MSF Child Malnutrition Report, Says Figures Are Outdated

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The Kebbi State Government has dismissed a report attributed to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and aired by BBC Hausa, describing claims about child malnutrition-related deaths in the state as outdated, misleading, and inconsistent with the current realities.

In a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Yahaya Sarki, the government said the report alleged that UNICEF statistics showed an estimated 30 newborns and 100 children under the age of five die daily in Kebbi State, with half of the deaths linked to malnutrition.

According to the statement, the government rejected the figures in their entirety, noting that the Public Relations Officer of MSF in Nigeria, Abdulkarim Yakubu, later clarified that the statistics were based on data from 2018 and were never intended to reflect the current situation in Kebbi State.

The government said the clarification confirmed that the figures presented to the public were outdated and capable of creating unnecessary public anxiety.

It expressed concern that an international humanitarian organisation could allow obsolete statistics to be presented without adequate context, stressing that development partners have a responsibility to ensure that information released to the public is accurate, properly contextualised, and professionally presented.

The statement highlighted a number of interventions undertaken by the administration of Governor Nasir Idris to improve healthcare delivery and combat child malnutrition across the state.

These include the distribution of 20,000 packs of Kunun Lahiya, valued at over ₦140 million, to 10,000 children across the state’s 21 local government areas, as well as continued collaboration with UNICEF, which donated 10,500 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for the treatment of children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition in 11 local government areas.

The government also cited ongoing reconstruction and upgrading of all 32 General Hospitals in the state, renovation of 225 Primary Healthcare Centres, distribution of modern ambulances, expansion of the Kebbi State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency, provision of free delivery kits to pregnant women, upward review of doctors’ salaries, and the absorption of 500 health workers previously engaged under GAVI.

The statement further recalled that in 2025, MSF had reported that more than 400 malnourished children were being admitted daily at Takalau Primary Healthcare Centre, a claim the government said was found to be inconsistent with the actual situation following an assessment by Governor Nasir Idris.

While acknowledging MSF’s humanitarian contributions globally, the government urged the organisation and other development partners to ensure that future reports are factual, balanced, and based on current data.

The Kebbi State Government reaffirmed its commitment to improving maternal and child healthcare through sustained investments and strategic partnerships, while calling on humanitarian organisations to engage constructively and ensure that information released to the public accurately reflects the realities on the ground.