Niger State Governor’s wife, Fatima Bago, has called on stakeholders to create breastfeeding-friendly workplaces by creating flexible schedules for nursing mothers.

She made the call during the inauguration of 2025 World Breastfeeding Week, organised by the Niger State Ministry for Primary Healthcare in collaboration with the Office of the First Lady in Minna on Thursday.

The theme of World Breastfeeding Week is “Prioritise Breastfeeding, Create a Sustainable Support System.”

She reiterated that breast milk was nature’s perfect gift, a complete source of nourishment that strengthened the mother-child bond and safeguarded the child’s health.

She said, “Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, followed by continued breastfeeding alongside complementary feeding up to two years and beyond, provides unmatched benefits. For babies, it protects against infections, allergies and diseases; for mothers, it reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, aids post-delivery recovery and promotes emotional well-being.’’

The governor’s wife noted that despite these benefits, many nursing mothers still face significant barriers from lack of information and societal pressure in an unsupportive work environment.

She urged stakeholders to create breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, honour maternity leave and provide lactation rooms for nursing mothers.

She promised to use her office to continue to champion initiatives that would promote mother-and-child health, advocate policies that enable breastfeeding, and support programmes that create safe and inclusive spaces for nursing mothers.

In his address, the state Commissioner for Primary Healthcare, Dangana Ibrahim, reiterated that the state government had approved six months of paid maternity leave for lactating mothers and two weeks of paternity leave for fathers.

Mr Ibrahim, represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mohammed Gana, said the state government was committed to providing resources and championing best practices for work-related breastfeeding support across the state.

He disclosed that the exclusive breastfeeding rates in the state stood at 13.2 per cent while vitamin A supplementation was at 98 per cent.

Health Specialist, UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, Ahmed Tsoho, commended the Niger State government for approving paid maternity leave of six months for new members and two weeks of paternity leave for fathers to support breastfeeding.

He reiterated UNICEF’s commitment to supporting the state government in promoting breastfeeding and maternal and child health.

(NAN)