The Jigawa State Commissioner for Health, Dr Salisu Muazu, decried that only 15.6 per cent of nursing mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding for children from zero to six months in the state.
The commissioner made the disclosure in a dialogue with members of the media as part of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week celebration organised by the state’s Primary Health Care Development Agency and UNICEF.
Muazu, who was represented by the executive secretary of the Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Kabiru Ibrahim, said “statistics indicate that only 15.6 per cent of lactating mothers are exclusively breastfeeding their babies in the state”.
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He said, ”The latest SMART survey of 2018 indicates that only 15.6 per cent of lactating mothers are exclusively breastfeeding their babies. So we are struggling with a large number of more than 80 per cent of women who are not actually exclusively breastfeeding.”
Dr Ibrahim maintained that “exclusive breastfeeding is religiously acceptable, financially feasible, and culturally wise.”
He urged parents to wake up and adopt the system for a better future of the state.
According to him, “more than half of anti-bodies are extracted through breastfeeding, adding that it attracts less or no infection of diseases.”
The executive secretary added that exclusive breastfeeding helps the mother to enjoy natural family spacing while the economy of the father will improve as the baby will not suffer from infectious diseases.
While ensuring the government’s efforts to strengthen exclusive breastfeeding, the executive secretary also urged parents to support the move for a better society.
He then commended UNICEF for partnering with the Jigawa government towards achieving exclusive breastfeeding for all 0-6 months children in Jigawa.
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