The Federal Government on Monday, 3 August disclosed that that Nigeria is yet to attain optimal breastfeeding practices with only 36 percent of the mothers practicing strict exclusive breastfeeding.
Vice President Kashim Shettima made this disclosure on Monday during the flag-off of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week in Abuja.
The VP who spoke on the Theme: Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works!” said: “Behind that gap sits a child whose immunity is weaker than it should be, a mother whose recovery is harder than it should be, and a nation whose human capital is smaller than it should be.
Shettima, who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Mrs. Uju Rochas Onwuka, said that a breastfed child is a more productive citizen in waiting, adding the matter should be considered as a national investment.
“This is why the vice president has directed that breastfeeding be treated not only as a maternal choice but as a national investment. A breastfed child is a healthier child,” he said, adding that under the leadership of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the government has made human capital the centerpiece of governance.
“There is no more foundational human capital investment than the first 1,000 days of Nigeria’s child life,” he said.
While emphasizing the importance of exclusive breastfeeding to child’s development, Vice President, Kashim Shettima described it as a major investment in human capital development that must not be ignored.
He advised breast-feeding mothers to see exclusive breastfeeding as an investment in the future wellbeing of their children.
In a related development, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised serious concern over the low rate of exclusive breastfeeding in Nigeria, revealing that two out of every three Nigerian children are not exclusively breastfed and risk being malnourished despite overwhelming scientific evidence the practice is critical to child survival, physical growth, cognitive reasoning, brain development and immune system strengthening.
Meanwhile, on his part, the Executive Director Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Junaidu Inuwa has said that the state is yet to meet the national average for breastfeeding, adding that while the national average is 56% the state has been able to achieve 46%.
Dr. Junaidu Inuwa made this known on Monday at the flag-off of this year’s world breastfeeding week where he also said it is in a bid to meet the average that government organised the sensitisation of mothers on the need for exclusive breastfeeding of their children up to 6 months.
Similarly, the nutrition advocacy group, the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria, (CS-SUNN) also described exclusive breastfeeding as a foundation for human capital development.
Speaking also during the flag-off of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Mrs. Daju Kachallom, said the report from National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) showed that country is yet to meet the template set by the World Health Organization on exclusive breastfeeding.
She said that WHO, which is the World Health Organization and UNICEF, “have recommended any initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary feeding for up to two years or beyond”.
“Breastfeeding remains one of the most effective interventions for improving child survival and development. Yet, optimal breastfeeding practices remain below the end level.
“According to the 2023 to 2024 NDHS, even though 95 percent of mothers breastfeed, but only 36 percent initiate breastfeeding within one hour. Only 29 percent initiate exclusive breastfeed for six months, and only 23 percent continue breastfeeding to 24 months,” she said.
The Permanent Secretary also said that only 21 states in Nigeria have provided for six months of pre-maternity leave.
“Breastfeeding provides complete nutrition, protects against infections, strengthens immunity, supports brain development, and reduces infant mortality.
“These indicators have calculated since 2018, showing that more must be done to these national targets,” she said.
