Yobe and Kaduna are the top states in northern Nigeria with the highest rate of under-five child mortality, data from the Nigerian Open Data Portal (ODP) reveal.
The data, sanctioned by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), placed Jigawa as the third with the highest number of child mortality among the 19 states in the region.
The data disclosed that thousands of children are dying before their fifth birthday across the region due to preventable causes.Â
WikkiTimes reports how states in the North have abandoned primary healthcare, which often leads to serious health challenges for citizens, particularly in rural areas.
The report said 218 out of 1000 children born alive die before reaching their fifth birthday in Yobe State, which earned the state the highest on the list.
Kaduna seconded with a 193.8 mortality rate, which is closely followed by Jigawa with 192.9. Others are Bauchi, Katsina, Zamfara, and Nasarawa states, all exceeding the national average of 101 deaths.
Taraba, Adamawa, and Kogi states have the lowest rates in the region with 32.5, 50.5, and 64.4, respectively.
Child health experts link these high mortality rates to a combination of factors, including poor access to primary healthcare, malnutrition, lack of immunisation, unsafe water, and widespread poverty.
In many communities, hospitals are under-resourced, and families travel long distances to access even the most basic medical care in facilities that have neither enough qualified staff nor adequate equipment.
Despite repeated government promises to improve maternal and child health, the data and the reality always suggest a lack of meaningful progress.
Health budgets remain insufficient, mismanaged, and rural health systems are stretched thin, with thousands of children dying silently.
