Bauchi, Nigeria — The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged families, communities, and policymakers to intensify support for exclusive breastfeeding, stressing its critical role in reducing childhood diseases and improving child survival.
Speaking during a press conference to mark the 2025 World Breastfeeding Week in Bauchi on Monday, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, UNICEF Chief of Bauchi Field Office, underscored the life-saving benefits of exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of a child’s life.
“Exclusive breastfeeding is vital for a child’s survival, brain development, and long-term health,” Dr. Rafique stated. “We are advocating for the domestication of a six-month paid maternity leave policy for civil servants in Bauchi State. This will give mothers the time they need to breastfeed and bond with their babies, ultimately improving child development outcomes.”
She called for coordinated action to empower mothers through family-friendly workplace policies, community education initiatives, and strengthened healthcare system support. Dr. Rafique also commended the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Bauchi for the prompt release of N100 million to the Children Nutrition Fund (CNF).
According to her, UNICEF is still awaiting the Bauchi State Government’s pledged N200 million contribution. “Once fulfilled, the total fund will stand at N600 million, which will be used to provide nutritious food for children,” she noted.
Dr. Rafique further appealed to the media to amplify public awareness on UNICEF’s “1-6-24” breastfeeding recommendation — initiating breastfeeding within one hour of birth, maintaining exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and continuing breastfeeding alongside complementary feeding for up to 24 months.
Also speaking, UNICEF Nutrition Specialist Ms. Philomena Irene expressed concern over Nigeria’s low breastfeeding rates, citing the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), which revealed that only 26.4 per cent of infants aged zero to five months are exclusively breastfed, while just 12 per cent are breastfed within the first hour of life.
In his remarks, Abubakar Sade, Nutrition Officer with the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to tackling child malnutrition and improving overall child health.
This year’s World Breastfeeding Week theme reinforces the importance of collective action to create an enabling environment for mothers to give their children the healthiest start in life.
