Nigeria's First Lady and the Ministry of Health call for workplaces to support breastfeeding mothers

From 1 – 7 August 2015, the 2015 World Breastfeeding Week was celebrated in Nigeria, with a ministerial launch, a trek through the capital and news segments on television. At the ministerial launch of the World Breastfeeding Week, in Abuja, Linus Awute, Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry…

August 12, 2015 - Last update: July 18, 2023

From 1 – 7 August 2015, the 2015 World Breastfeeding Week was celebrated in Nigeria, with a ministerial launch, a trek through the capital and news segments on television.

At the ministerial launch of the World Breastfeeding Week, in Abuja, Linus Awute, Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health shared that Nigeria has the poorest exclusive breastfeeding rate in Africa with only 17% of children being exclusively breastfed. Represented by Bridget Okoeguale, Director of Public Health, Awute stressed the need to support women who want to combine breastfeeding with work in all settings. He called on the private sector to encourage breastfeeding mothers through the provision of crèches, breastfeeding rooms in workplaces and flexible working hours.

The National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) embarked on a trek through Lagos and distributed flyers to sensitise Nigerians on the importance of breastfeeding. Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of NAWOJ commended the Lagos State extension of maternity leave for breastfeeding mothers to six months for the first two children and 10 days paternity leave for men whose wives are breastfeeding.

News segment were broadcast on Today on STV and NTA news. They offered nutritional information and coverage of the week’s activities including highlights from a speech made by Zainab Bagudu, wife of Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu on behalf of Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari. The first lady, called on employers in Nigeria to create an enabling environment for mothers to breastfeed their babies at work. She also said that there was no shame in breastfeeding and that it is key to reducing malnutrition.