Health
World Breastfeeding Week: Benue Yet to Meet National Goal, Global Target of Breastfeeding – UNICEF
World Breastfeeding Week: Benue Yet to Meet National Goal, Global Target of Breastfeeding – UNICEF
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
The United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF) in Benue State, on Friday lamented that the state is yet to meet national goal and global target for breastfeeding and new mothers, saying only one of every two newborns representing 47% are breastfed within the first hour of life in the State.
It further said only one of two children representing 56.7%, is exclusively breastfed for six months while only 37.6% of children are breastfed up to two years in the State, falling below the national goal of 65% and the global target of 60% by 2025.
The UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Enugu, Mrs.Juliet Chiluwe disclosed this during the flag off of the 2025 World Breastfeeding Week at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) Makurdi and the Ultra-modern International Market (Yelewata) IDP camp.
Mrs. Chiluwe enjoined relevant stakeholders to put mothers and babies first by prioritizing breastfeeding and building sustainable support systems for every mother and child in Nigeria.
She maintained that supporting new mothers to breastfeed exclusively for at least six months is the best method of child nutrition in these critical times, stressing that the method is sustainable, cost-effective, and zero-waste as it does involve packaging, no pollution, but just pure nourishment from mother to child—even in emergencies.
The Chief of Field Office who also congratulated all the mothers in the State, and across the country for breastfeeding their babies, intimated that over 90% of Nigerian mothers breastfeed their babies and advocated that both public and private sectors to give compulsory maternity leave to new mothers and support them with six-month paid maternity leave.
“UNICEF, alongside the Government of Nigeria and our partners, is calling for bold, coordinated action to train every frontline health worker with hands-on breastfeeding support skills especially at birth. Let us invest in community health workers to deliver breastfeeding support where it matters most — at the home — we need to equip our hardworking community workers with the skills to address socio-cultural barriers to exclusive breastfeeding like the practice of giving water to a child under six months .
“As enshrined in the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, let us walk the talk and make six months paid maternity leave a reality – not just in policy but in practice. In addition, let us make workplaces breastfeeding friendly — all we require is 10 square metres of space to create safe and hygienic lactation spaces, is that too much to ask”, Mrs. Chiluwe stated.
On his part, Chief Medical Director, Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Dr. Stephen Hwande, thanked UNICEF for coming to launch this year’s World Breastfeeding Week at the Teaching Hospital to encourage health workers and encourage them to support every child who is born to be put to the breast immediately.
He disclosed that birth rates at the BSUTH has astronomically increased from 20 to 200 per month as a result of moderate child delivery fee which now stance at N5,000 only.
Dr. Hwande explained that apart from reducing the child delivery fee to an affordable rate, the University Teaching Hospital has opened a Center for children with special needs especially for those children who are unable to do certain things between six to nine months of birth where they can be treated.
“We now have established a therapeutic centre for children with special needs and developmental disorders such as autism, hearing disorder, inability to stand or walk at the right, to turn neck etc”, he said .
The CMD therefore called on new mothers to prioritise breastfeeding of their children, adding investments in breast milk will make their shape, intelligent and enhance their well being.
In her goodwill message, the Executive Secretary, Benue State Primary Healthcare Board, Mrs. Grace Wende, said the theme for 2025 “Prioritze Breastfeeding: Creating Sustainable Support Systems,” resonates deeply with relevant stakeholders commitment to promoting the health and well-being of the Benue populace especially mothers and children.
She insisted that every mother must have access to the support and information she needs to breastfeed as long as she wishes to do so – by investing in skilled breastfeeding counselling, enforcing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, and creating environments—at home, in healthcare, and at work—that support and empower women.
According to her, breastfeeding has been linked to improved cognitive development and higher IQ scores and has been shown to reduce the risk of respiratory tract infections, ear infections, and other diseases as well as helps the uterus contract back to its pre-pregnancy size, reducing bleeding and promoting healing.
The director of medical services state ministry of health, Dr. Joshua Agbadu and mother club focal point, Nigeria Red Cross,Hemba Agatha, all commended UNICEF for their numerous intervention particularly in the area of health in the State and promised to support activities that will enhance breastfeeding amongst nursing mothers in the State.
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
The United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF) in Benue State, on Friday lamented that the state is yet to meet national goal and global target for breastfeeding and new mothers, saying only one of every two newborns representing 47% are breastfed within the first hour of life in the State.
It further said only one of two children representing 56.7%, is exclusively breastfed for six months while only 37.6% of children are breastfed up to two years in the State, falling below the national goal of 65% and the global target of 60% by 2025.
The UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Enugu, Mrs.Juliet Chiluwe disclosed this during the flag off of the 2025 World Breastfeeding Week at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) Makurdi and the Ultra-modern International Market (Yelewata) IDP camp.
Mrs. Chiluwe enjoined relevant stakeholders to put mothers and babies first by prioritizing breastfeeding and building sustainable support systems for every mother and child in Nigeria.
She maintained that supporting new mothers to breastfeed exclusively for at least six months is the best method of child nutrition in these critical times, stressing that the method is sustainable, cost-effective, and zero-waste as it does involve packaging, no pollution, but just pure nourishment from mother to child—even in emergencies.
The Chief of Field Office who also congratulated all the mothers in the State, and across the country for breastfeeding their babies, intimated that over 90% of Nigerian mothers breastfeed their babies and advocated that both public and private sectors to give compulsory maternity leave to new mothers and support them with six-month paid maternity leave.
“UNICEF, alongside the Government of Nigeria and our partners, is calling for bold, coordinated action to train every frontline health worker with hands-on breastfeeding support skills especially at birth. Let us invest in community health workers to deliver breastfeeding support where it matters most — at the home — we need to equip our hardworking community workers with the skills to address socio-cultural barriers to exclusive breastfeeding like the practice of giving water to a child under six months .
“As enshrined in the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, let us walk the talk and make six months paid maternity leave a reality – not just in policy but in practice. In addition, let us make workplaces breastfeeding friendly — all we require is 10 square metres of space to create safe and hygienic lactation spaces, is that too much to ask”, Mrs. Chiluwe stated.
On his part, Chief Medical Director, Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Dr. Stephen Hwande, thanked UNICEF for coming to launch this year’s World Breastfeeding Week at the Teaching Hospital to encourage health workers and encourage them to support every child who is born to be put to the breast immediately.
He disclosed that birth rates at the BSUTH has astronomically increased from 20 to 200 per month as a result of moderate child delivery fee which now stance at N5,000 only.
Dr. Hwande explained that apart from reducing the child delivery fee to an affordable rate, the University Teaching Hospital has opened a Center for children with special needs especially for those children who are unable to do certain things between six to nine months of birth where they can be treated.
“We now have established a therapeutic centre for children with special needs and developmental disorders such as autism, hearing disorder, inability to stand or walk at the right, to turn neck etc”, he said .
The CMD therefore called on new mothers to prioritise breastfeeding of their children, adding investments in breast milk will make their shape, intelligent and enhance their well being.
In her goodwill message, the Executive Secretary, Benue State Primary Healthcare Board, Mrs. Grace Wende, said the theme for 2025 “Prioritze Breastfeeding: Creating Sustainable Support Systems,” resonates deeply with relevant stakeholders commitment to promoting the health and well-being of the Benue populace especially mothers and children.
She insisted that every mother must have access to the support and information she needs to breastfeed as long as she wishes to do so – by investing in skilled breastfeeding counselling, enforcing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, and creating environments—at home, in healthcare, and at work—that support and empower women.
According to her, breastfeeding has been linked to improved cognitive development and higher IQ scores and has been shown to reduce the risk of respiratory tract infections, ear infections, and other diseases as well as helps the uterus contract back to its pre-pregnancy size, reducing bleeding and promoting healing.
The director of medical services state ministry of health, Dr. Joshua Agbadu and mother club focal point, Nigeria Red Cross,Hemba Agatha, all commended UNICEF for their numerous intervention particularly in the area of health in the State and promised to support activities that will enhance breastfeeding amongst nursing mothers in the State.
The Hajiya Gambo Sawaba General Hospital (HGSGH) Fistula Centre, Zaria, has successfully repaired over 2,000 obstetric fistula cases since its establishment in 1999.
Chief Surgeon of the centre, Dr. Mohammed-Ado Zakari, disclosed this on Saturday during the 2026 commemoration of the International Day to End Fistula held at the hospital in Zaria.
According to Zakari, the centre currently performs an average of 150 repairs annually, with a success rate of over 70 percent.
The chief surgeon said five doctors and several nurses had also been trained at the centre under the mentorship of Dutch Fistula Surgeon, Dr.
Kees Waaldijk.He said the centre was established through collaborative efforts of the Kaduna State Government, Rotary International, and Waaldijk to address the growing burden of obstetric fistula in northern Nigeria.
Zakari described obstetric fistula as an abnormal opening between the vagina and the bladder or rectum, caused mainly by prolonged obstructed labour, resulting in continuous leakage of urine or stool.
He said the condition remains a major public health and social problem, particularly among rural women with poor access to quality maternal healthcare.
The surgeon revealed that globally, more than two million women “are living with untreated obstetric fistula, while between 50,000 and 100,000 new cases occur annually.”
He added that Nigeria alone may have between 100,000 and one million women living with untreated fistula.
Zakari identified early marriage, home delivery, shortage of skilled birth attendants, poverty, and prolonged obstructed labour as major causes of the condition.
He also raised concerns over increasing cases linked to medical quackery and poor surgical practices.
According to him, over 60 percent of private clinics in Zaria do not have qualified medical personnel to handle maternal healthcare needs.
“We currently have patients who are victims of such unqualified medical personnel undergoing fistula repairs at the centre.
“I am retired and own a private hospital, but I know that the priority of some private clinics is money, not patient-centred services,” he said.
The surgeon, however, commended the Federal Government for interventions through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) initiatives.
The 2026 theme for the International Day to End Fistula is: “Her Health is a Right: Invest in Ending Fistula and Childbirth Injury”.
The centre used the occasion to hold a special session for traditional and religious leaders.
The session urged participants to leverage the state health insurance scheme and other federal government’s interventions to improve access to quality, subsidized medical care.
Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Hassan Adamu, reiterated the hospital’s commitment to providing robust health services to VVF patients.
He called for increased investment by governments, development partners, and philanthropists to strengthen maternal healthcare services and eliminate fistula and childbirth injuries.
In his remarks, Alhaji Sambo Shehu-Idris, District Head of Zaria and Kewaye, commended the centre for the event.
Idris, represented by Alhaji Ibrahim Sarki, Ward Head of Madarkaci, lamented that traditional leaders were closest to the communities and often reported the presence of quack centres.
He, however, said the lack of action by relevant authorities had made them targets of illegal operators.
The Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KSCHMA) said it has enrolled vulnerable groups, including hypertensive and HIV patients and inmates in correctional centres, into the state’s healthcare insurance scheme.
The Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr.
Rahila Aliyu-Mukhtar, disclosed this in an interview on Friday in Kano.Aliyu-Mukhtar said the agency had enrolled more than 6,000 vulnerable hypertensive patients across the state to help them access medications and investigations they ordinarily could not afford.
According to her, the intervention has contributed to reducing complications arising from hypertension in the state.
“We received a nationally generated report indicating that Kano State has reduced complications arising from hypertension.
“This can be attributed to the hypertensive patients we enrolled under the scheme,” she said.
The executive secretary added that more than 6,000 people living with HIV have also been enrolled in the programme.
She explained that although antiretroviral drugs were provided through donor support, beneficiaries still require healthcare support for other illnesses such as malaria, typhoid, diabetes, and hypertension.
Aliyu-Mukhtar further disclosed that the agency had concluded plans to enroll 6,000 tuberculosis patients under its vulnerable group programme.
“We realised that TB patients also need support beyond their TB medications because secondary health conditions may arise,” she said.
She also said the agency had enrolled all inmates in correctional centres across the state, describing it as the first initiative of its kind in the country.
Aliyu-Mukhtar noted that the initiative earned the Kano State Government commendation from the Controller-General of Corrections.
According to her, other states have contacted the agency to understudy the implementation model adopted by Kano State.
She said the agency remained committed to reducing out-of-pocket healthcare spending and improving access to healthcare services for vulnerable residents.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said the dangers of drug use are often underestimated among young people, with many unaware of the long-term consequences of their actions.
NDLEA representative for the Kwara Command, Galleys Oyedepo said this at a seminar organised by the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) in Ilorin on Friday.
The seminar was organised in collaboration with NDLEA to sensitise secondary and tertiary school students against indulging in drug abuse.
Oyedepo expressed concern that drug and substance abuse is becoming prevalent among youth on campuses of tertiary institutions.
“Drug abuse is increasingly prevalent among young people, particularly on university campuses, where many students turn to substances in response to academic pressure, social expectations, and emotional challenges,” she said.
According to her, what begins as curiosity, peer influence, or a coping mechanism can quickly develop into dependency, trapping students in cycles of addiction.
Oyedepo identified commonly abused substances to include cannabis, codeine-based syrups, tramadol, and synthetic drugs.
She cited findings from the 2018 National Drug Use and Health Survey, which put Nigeria’s drug use prevalence at 14.4 per cent, nearly three times the global average.
The NDLEA representative noted that recent enforcement data further underscored the severity of the problem.
She further disclosed that more than 60 per cent of over 77,000 drug offenders arrested by the agency in the past five years were youths.
“Some are as young as 15, and most individuals currently undergoing treatment and counselling in NDLEA facilities are also young people.
“The trend is partly attributed to a culture that increasingly normalises drug use among youths, with many perceiving it as harmless or fashionable,” she said.
Oyedepo warned that the consequences of drug abuse include poor academic performance, mental health disorders, broken relationships, and increased exposure to crime and violence.
According to her, youth must understand that drug abuse comes with serious and lasting consequences, and that it is not a solution to stress or academic challenges.
FOMWAN Amirah, Hajia Biliqis Oladimeji, said the programme was organised under the Health Committee of the Association to educate young people on the dangers of drug abuse in the state.
Oladimeji lamented the rise in cases of drug abuse among youth in Kwara, saying the association would not fold its arms and watch the nation’s future destroyed by the menace.
She, therefore, appealed to parents and guardians to monitor their wards so that they do not fall victim to drug abuse.
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