Kwara First Lady advocates exclusive breastfeeding as UNICEF lauds State’s Six-Month Maternity Leave Policy
By Mahmood Olayinka Alaya
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark World Breastfeeding Week 2025, the First Lady of Kwara State and Chairperson of the Nigeria Governors’ Spouses Forum, Ambassador Olufolake Abdulrazaq, has reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to maternal and child health by advocating for exclusive breastfeeding and launching the domestication of the Nutrition 774 Initiative.
Speaking at a commemorative event held at the Antenatal Clinic of the Kwara State University Teaching Hospital (KWASUTH) in Ilorin, organized in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the First Lady described breastfeeding as a powerful tool to combat malnutrition, reduce child mortality, and ensure food security.
“World Breastfeeding Week, observed globally in the first week of August since 1992, highlights the enormous benefits of breastfeeding, not just for babies, but for maternal health, poverty reduction, and sustainable development,” Ambassador Abdulrazaq said.
Citing recent statistics, she noted that only 29% of Nigerian infants are exclusively breastfed for the first six months, and just 42% are breastfed within the first hour of birth, according to the National Food and Nutrition Media Team.
She stressed the importance of improving these figures through stronger community support, especially for working mothers.
The First Lady commended Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for approving six months of paid maternity leave for civil servants and establishing crèches in government offices, calling it a progressive step toward ensuring breastfeeding friendly workplaces. She also appreciated UNICEF and other development partners for supporting maternal and child health in the state.
“ As a government, we are deliberate about issues affecting women and children. The evidence is clear in our policies, our programs, and our passion,” she affirmed.
Kwara State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Aminat Ahmed El-Imam, warned mothers against giving infants zamzam water, holy water, or herbal mixtures within the first six months of life, urging them to stick strictly to breastmilk.
“ eExclusive breastfeeding for six months, followed by continued breastfeeding up to two years and beyond, promotes healthy physical, emotional, and cognitive development,” she said.
Dr. El-Imam noted progress in the state but emphasized that more work is needed, given Nigeria’s low exclusive breastfeeding rates. She identified lack of awareness, misinformation, and social pressure, as well as workplace constraints, as major barriers, he mmbakes
“This is why Kwara State remains committed to supportive policies like six-month maternity leave for nursing mothers,” she added.
Also speaking at the event, Chinwe Ezeife, Nutrition Specialist from UNICEF’s Kaduna Field Office, emphasized the need to build sustainable systems that support breastfeeding across homes, healthcare settings, workplaces, and communities.
“Breastfeeding is not just a health issue, but re it is a national development issue. Only 36% of Nigerian babies are breastfed within the first hour, and exclusive breastfeeding remains stuck at 29%, the same as in 2018. These figures are alarming,” she said.
Ezeife explained UNICEF’s recommended 1-6-24 model—early initiation (within one hour of birth), exclusive breastfeeding for six months, and continued breastfeeding with complementary foods for up to 24 months or beyond.
While over 90% of Nigerian mothers initiate breastfeeding, she lamented that only 10 states (including Kwara) have extended maternity leave to six months. Most workplaces, she said, lack breastfeeding-friendly policies and facilities, leaving mothers unsupported.
“ Health workers are key, but many lack the tools, time, and training to provide the support mothers need. Breast milk is all a baby needs for the first six months, no substitutes compare. And breastfeeding is everyone’s responsibility not just the mother’s”, the UNICEF official said.
In her presentation, Chief Medical Director of the Children’s Specialist Hospital, Dr. Mosunmola Folorunsho, noted that exclusive breastfeeding promotes healthy growth, reduces disease risks, and even lowers the chances of breast cancer in mothers.
“ Breastfeeding alone provides all the baby needs, including water. We must engage stakeholders at every level to champion this life-saving practice,” she urged.
Matron of the Antenatal Clinic at KWASUTH, Odusanya Felicia Aderinola, echoed these sentiments, advising mothers to maintain a nutritious diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
She cautioned against processed foods and encouraged the use of local foods like eggs, crayfish, and fruits.
“ Breastmilk is rich in nutrients, but so is the food the mother eats. Let’s nourish our mothers so they can nourish our children,” she said.
The Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Professor Nusirat Elelu, acknowledged UNICEF’s support in raising breastfeeding awareness in the state and strengthening health systems to promote it.
One of the participating mothers, Mrs. Shittu Monsurat Ajoke, shared her experience, saying that from pregnancy through delivery, they were educated on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and were discouraged from giving herbs or other non-recommended substances to their infants.
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