World Breastfeeding Week: 1,800 Mothers Simultaneously Breastfeed Babies in Niger

*First 100 attendees get bag of rice each

Laleye Dipo in Minna

As part of activities to mark this year’s World Breast Feeding Day, more than 1,800 mothers attended a programme in Minna, the Niger State capital, where they all breastfed their babies at the same time.
Wife of the Niger State governor, Hajia Fatima Umaru Bago, gave each of the first 100 mothers that attended the ceremony a bag of rice.
She emphasised the nutritional value of breastfeeding babies exclusively at least six months from birth, saying it improves their health and protects them from diseases.

Represented by wife of Secretary to the State Government, Hajia Jumai Abubakar, the governor’s wife also advocated the education of breastfeeding mothers, as well as provision of friendly work environments for nursing mothers.

Niger State Commissioner for Secondary and Tertiary Health Care, Dr. Bello Turkur, disclosed that government had completed arrangements to recruit about 3,000 medical practitioners into health institutions across the state.

Tukur said the state government had commenced the construction of primary health centres in the 25 local government areas of the state, adding that some of the existing ones will be upgraded.

He said the event was organised “to showcase the need to improve support to mothers so that they will practise optimal breastfeeding”.
In her remarks, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Kaduna, Mrs. Gerida Birukila, said the event was an attempt to break the world record for the highest number of lactating women breastfeeding simultaneously.

Birukila said, “We are not just gathered to break a world record, we are here to make history and send a powerful message to the world on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.”
Birukila, who was represented by UNICEF Consultant in Niger, Mrs. Grace Odeyemi, said exclusive breastfeeding rates had remained low at 16 per cent, according to Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICs 2021).