– The minister of agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, says poor diet has resulted in Nigerians spending more on health care
– Ogbeh says people often consume carbohydrates and less of protein, thereby affecting their well-beings, especially under-five children
– The minister urges Nigerians to eat rightly and be conscious of what is being consumed to avoid self-poisoning
Audu Ogbeh has said Nigerians are not feeding well.
The federal government has warned that Nigerians are not feeding well due to poor diet
The minister of agriculture and rural development, Audu Ogbeh gave the warning on Thursday, January 12, at the re-inauguration of an Inter-Ministerial Agriculture/Nutrition Working Group (IANWG) in Abuja.
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Audu Ogbeh said poor diet has resulted in Nigerians spending more on health care, The Nation reports.
The minister said most people often consume carbohydrates and less of protein, thereby affecting their well-beings, especially under-five children.
He said in the case of children, inappropriate feeding has resulted in stunted growth, obesity and other forms of ailments.
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The minister urged Nigerians to eat rightly and be conscious of what is being consumed to avoid self-poisoning.
Ogbeh said: “Food is the best medicine, but it can also be the worst poison. We have to deal with the issue of self-poisoning. We talk of water poison in our food. The use of polythene water package and some foods are lacking in basic nutrients. So, it is important to know what we eat; otherwise, we simply ingest poison.
“We want our children between the ages of one and five to be properly taken care of at crèches. The best time to develop a child’s brain is the first five years. We don’t want to have stunted children. So, we will intensify our cooperation with the ministry of health.”
In other news, Audu Ogbeh has disclosed that a new strain of Avian Influenza virus, also known as bird flu, has entered the country and has spread to 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to a report by Punch, Ogbeh revealed that over 3.5 million birds have been affected. He noted that neighbouring countries have proposed a ban on poultry and poultry products from Nigeria in order to prevent the disease from entering the country.
360naze
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