The United Nations Children’s Fund has revealed that just 15 per cent of breastfeeding mothers in Niger State practise six months of exclusive breastfeeding for their infants.
UNICEF Health Specialist, Dr Ahmed Tsofo, disclosed this on Thursday during the launch of the 2025 World Breastfeeding Week in Minna, urging more mothers and their spouses to motivate pregnant women to embrace the practice.
According to Tsofo, who stood in for the UNICEF Chief of Kaduna Field Office, Dr Gerida Birukila, the national average stands at 34 per cent, making Niger State’s rate notably lower.
“As UNICEF, we are calling on various governments to approve and fully implement the policy of six months of maternity leave. At present, only 10 states, including Niger State, have given full approval for six months of maternity leave with full payment.
“We are offering support at every level of government to ensure strict enforcement. In Niger State, the breastfeeding index is 15.7 per cent, while the national figure is 34 per cent,” she stated. The wife of the state governor, Fatima Bago, who inaugurated the breastfeeding week, appealed to nursing mothers to breastfeed their babies exclusively for six months to ensure healthier children. “Breastfeeding plays a key role in family planning and in preventing diseases that put newborns at risk. That is why we encourage it for up to 23 months.”
Niger State Commissioner for Primary Health Care, Dr Ibrahim Dangana, affirmed that all breastfeeding mothers in the state are benefiting from the six-month paid maternity leave, noting that “it has been gazetted and already operational.”
Represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Mohammed Gana, the commissioner confirmed that the State Executive Council had approved the six-month paid leave for all lactating mothers during the first six months after childbirth.
In addition, UNICEF U-Report Team Lead, Aisha Ndagi, speaking during an awareness campaign in several communities in Tunga Ward, Minna, said the initiative is designed to ensure women follow the six-month exclusive breastfeeding recommendation due to its significant benefits and value.
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