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World Breastfeeding Week: FG seeks citizens support against malnutrition

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World Breastfeeding Week: FG seeks citizens support against malnutrition

 

The Federal Ministry of Health has urged citizens to enable breastfeeding by supporting working parents with conducive workspaces to improve health of the baby and address malnutrition.

Ms Patricia Deworitshe, Director, Media and Public Relations in the ministry, made the call in a statement in Abuja ahead of the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW).

The World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every Aug. 1 to Aug.7 across the world.

The theme for WBW 2023, “Enable Breastfeeding, making a Difference for Working Parents”, focuses on creating more awareness on breastfeeding support in workspaces.

Deworitshe, in the statement, also emphasised the benefits of breastfeeding on infants, young children, mothers, families and the society at large.

According to her, conducive environment will ensure optimal breastfeeding and increase productivity in the workplaces.

She stated: “In Nigeria, only two per cent of infants under age 6 months were found to be exclusively breastfed, while only 42 per cent were put to breast within the first hour of birth.

“To achieve a higher impact on malnutrition reduction such as stunting, the coverage of nutrition sensitive and nutrition specific interventions among the targeted population should be 80 per cent and above.”

She noted that balancing the demands of careers, domestic chores and maintaining the household were challenges affecting effective breastfeeding among working mothers.

She identified myths, early return to work after childbirth and lack of a conducive breastfeeding environment, especially for working mothers, as hindrances to breastfeeding.

Deworitshe stated that aggressive marketing of breastmilk substitutes among others also hindered breastfeeding of infants in Nigeria.

She said: “The Ministry also wishes to emphasise that working places should be made conducive to encourage breastfeeding as this will enhance productivity for these mothers, while assuring their nurturing role.

“Breastmilk is very nutritious and builds the immunity of the baby. It also protects babies from common diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia.

“Much more, the bonding between mother and baby during breastfeeding improves emotional and social development of the child.

“The general public, is being reminded that breastmilk is the ideal food for infants, it is readily available, cheap, safe, clean and gives the first form of protection against many common childhood illnesses.”

 

The statement also emphasised the importance of breastfeeding within an hour of birth.

It stated that exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding up to two years of age or beyond with the introduction of appropriate complementary food were very important.

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Fagbemi warns against obstructing EFCC from performing its lawful duty

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The Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN has warned against obstructing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from carrying out its lawful duty .

Fagbemi’s warning is contained in a statement in Abuja.

“This is a matter of very grave concern, it is now beyond doubt that the EFCC is given power by the law to invite any person of interest to interact with them in the course of their investigations into any matter, regardless of status.

“Therefore, the least that we can all do when invited, is not to put any obstruction in the way of EFCC, but to honourably answer their invitation.

“A situation where public officials who are themselves subject of protection by law enforcement agents will set up a stratagem of obstruction to the civil and commendable efforts of the EFCC to perform its duty is to say the least, insufferably disquieting’’.

He added that running away from the law will not resolve issues at stake but only exacerbate them.

“Nigeria has a vibrant judicial system that is capable of protecting everyone who follows the rule of law in seeking protection.

“I therefore encourage anyone who has been invited by the EFCC or any other agency to immediately toe the path of decency and civility by honouring such invitation instead of embarking on a temporising self-help and escapism.

 

“This can only put our country in bad light before the rest of the world’’.

He said institutions of state should be allowed to function effectively and efficiently.

“I stand for the rule of law and will promptly call EFCC, and indeed any other agency to order when there is an indication of any transgressions of the fundamental rights of any Nigerian by any of the agencies’’.

NAN reports that the EFCC had on Wednesday warned members of the public that it was a criminal offence to obstruct officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties.

Section 38(2)(a(b) of the EFCC Establishment Act makes it an offence to prevent officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties. Culprits risk a jail term of not less than five years.

The warning , the EFCC said, became necessary against the background of the increasing tendency by persons and groups under investigation by the Commission to take the laws into their hands by recruiting thugs to obstruct lawful operations of the EFCC.

On several occasions, the anti graft agency said, operatives of the Commission have had to exercise utmost restraint in the face of such provocation to avoid a breakdown of law and order.

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Unknown Gunmen Abduct Channelstv Reporter In Port-harcourt

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Some unknown gunmen have kidnapped Joshua Rogers, the ChannelsTV reporter in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Politics Nigeria learnt that Rogers was picked up close to his residence at Rumuosi in Port Harcourt and to an unknown destination by the gunmen around 9pm on Thursday, April 11.

The reporter was driving his official ChannelsTV branded car when the hoodlums accosted, pointed a gun at him and took him away in the same vehicle.

 

Rogers was said to be returning from his official assignment in Government House after a trip to Andoni for a government event when the incident happened.

Already, the gunmen were said to have contacted his wife and demanded a N30million ransom for bis release.

His cameraman confirmed the incident and appealed to his abductors to set him free unconditionally.

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