Lagos State Government has expressed its readiness to work with nutrition partners to reduce malnutrition indices. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Mrs. Yewande Falugba, speaking during an advocacy visit by the Civil Society-Scaling Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) team to the ministry, said that enhancing nutrition among children, women and the elderly was crucial to the government. She said that the ministry would set up a committee to work on improving nutrition among the groups listed above. Falugba said Lagos State had homes being overseen by the ministry, adding that nutritionists were employed to ensure that meals with nutritional benefits were served in those homes. “Babies in orphanages cannot be breastfed, but there are alternatives to ensure that they get the required nutritional benefits,’’ she said. She added that the ministry, saddled with the responsibility of providing succour to the vulnerable, will ensure that it serves their interests by promoting their inclusion and welfare. The Executive Secretary, CS-SUNN, Mrs. Beatrice Eluaka, said that the state had to take urgent actions to reduce its malnutrition indices. She said that the rate of stunting in the state, which she noted from records, was standing at 17.3 per cent. Eluaka added that the state’s wasting rate at 6.6 per cent was also above the five per cent specified by the World Health Organisation. She advised the government to embark on actions that would reduce the rates. Eluaka, however, hailed the government for approving nutrition budget lines across key line ministries in the 2020 budget. She called for cash backing and timely release of funds to facilitate the full implementation of the state’s Multi-Sectoral Plan of Action for Nutrition. Eluaka said the CS-SUNN will continue to advocate and improve capacity building of relevant stakeholders until Nigeria is transformed into a country where every citizen has food and nutrition secured. The Nation