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Gombe State faces severe food security issues in 10 LGAs, high child poverty rates
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
Ten Local Government Areas in Gombe State are experiencing severe food security issues, as revealed by the 2024/2025 Gombe State General Household Survey and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. Alhaji Ibrahim Dule, the Statistician-General of the state, shared this information at a three-day capacity-building workshop for local council officials. The workshop, organized by the Gombe State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in collaboration with UNICEF, aims to address multidimensional poverty among children in 11 LGAs. The survey also indicated that 65 percent of households in the state have access to drinking water, 51.5 percent have access to improved sanitation, and 50.5 percent have access to electricity. Nuzhat Rafique, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Bauchi, expressed concern over the high level of child poverty, stating that the survey showed seven out of 10 children in the state experience multidimensional poverty. UNICEF is supporting Gombe State to expand social protection programs, improve healthcare access, and tackle severe child food poverty, focusing on highly deprived LGAs such as Dukku, Balanga, and Nafada. Jalo Ali, Permanent Secretary, Gombe State Ministry of Finance, urged participants to use the training to enhance their capacities and adopt cross-sector thinking to address the multidimensional nature of child poverty.
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