President’s Wife canvasses exclusive breastfeeding to ensure healthy babies

The Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has canvassed exclusive breastfeeding of children by nursing mothers to ensure healthy life for the babies.

Buhari said this in Abuja on Tuesday at the 2017 World Breastfeeding Week where she inaugurated the Breast-feeding Advocacy Initiative with theme: “Sustaining Breastfeeding Together”.

Our correspondent reports that event was organised by the Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with the UNICEF, Bill and Melinda Gates Others are; Clinton Health Access Initiative, Save the Children and their support partners such as the Future Assured initiative of Buhari.

The wife of the president was represented by Dr Hajo Sani, her Senior Special Assistant on Administration.

It was reported that Buhari is also instrumental to championing the cause of exclusive breastfeeding among women in the country.

She, who participated in the official launch of National Strategy for Infant and Young child feeding in Nigeria, 2016 to 2020.

She explained that the initiative was aimed at providing platforms for stakeholders to promote, protect and support exclusive breastfeeding in achieving sustainable development goals.

The wife of the president called on the employers of labour to create convenient day care centres, in their respective, workplaces for the nursing mothers to enable them breastfeed their babies.

She said, ‘‘Employers in Nigeria should create an enabling environment for breastfeeding mothers through the provision of day care centres and breastfeeding room in workplaces.

“They (nursing mothers) should have flexible working hours because many mothers want to breastfeed for longer time than they are currently doing”.

Buhari said that, if such policies were implemented, it would go a long way in assisting nursing mothers to properly breastfeed their babies.

The wife of the President said her programme also provided platform for stakeholders to tackle malnutrition in the country.

“I use my Future Assured Programme as a platform to play important role with other stakeholders to make difference in the prevention of all forms of malnutrition as well as reducing maternal and infant mortality.’’

She commended Global Breastfeeding Collective for raising awareness on the importance of breastfeeding for the growth of newborn babies.

It was reported that Aug. 1, has been set side every year to mark the World Breastfeeding Week.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report says breast milk helps to prevent pneumonia and diarrhea diseases among children under five.

According to UNICEF, Nigeria accounts for only 17 per cent of countries that adopt exclusive breastfeeding.