The Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Zakari Usman has urged mothers to embrace exclusive breastfeeding to provide a healthy life for their children.
Dr. Usman, who made the call while addressing participants who took part in a road walk as part of programmes to mark the 2022 International Breastfeeding Week, said the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for mother and child cannot be under estimated as it helps in the development of babies.
The Commissioner explained that breastfeeding provides babies with the ideal nutrition for the first 1000 days, adding that it increases the intelligent quotient development of the baby.
The Commissioner described that the benefits of breastfeeding far outweighs its negative consequences, saying that breastfeeding has not been proven to have any consequences, says it reduces obesity in infants as they grow.
He charged mother’s to embrace breastfeeding, pointing out that it reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, protects the baby from infection and diseases as well as help boost their immune system.
He said the Ministry would under his leadership make the sensitisation for breast feeding a continuous activities because of the benefits if embraced, adding that it lowers risk of developing ovarian and breast cancer, nurtures mother baby bond, lower risk of osteoporosis, improves birth spacing and Lower the risk of diabetes.
Mallam Ahmed Suleiman, the communication officer of Africa Youth Growth Foundation (AYGF), maintained that breastfeeding is not a choice but a responsibility that must be taken passionately and seriously by all mothers.
He equally recommended for a conscious continuous awareness and sensitisation of the importance of breast feeding by mothers and called on mothers to utilize the opportunity of the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) programme, an intervention that focuses on improving nutrition in child from 0-5 years and being implemented by AYGF across 111 wards in 10 LGAs in Kogi State to get more information and nutritional support.
