The Kwara State Government has commenced a sensitisation campaign to enlighten the people of the state on the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding and home gardening, assuring them of its firm resolve at promoting nutrition in the state.
The sensitisation campaign was part of the activities of the Kwara State Ministry of Communications’ Food and Nutrition Sensitisation Programme.
The team comprises members of staff of Kwara State Ministries of Communications, Health and Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Kwara State Road Maintenance Agency.
The State Commissioner for Communications, Hon. Saddiq Buhari, made the call on Saturday on the side-line of the Food and Nutrition Awareness Campaign with the theme ‘Operation Feed Yourself’ and ‘Exclusive Breastfeeding’.
Buhari stated that good nutrition was important for a healthy and balanced life, calling on parents, especially mothers, to ensure that they take care of their babies and follow health givers’ instructions by breastfeeding new born babies in the first 60 minutes of life after birth, and exclusively for the first six months with zero water.
In his words, “Exclusive breastfeeding also called EBF is as advantageous as it is cheap. God in his infinite wisdom has provided all our babies’ need for the first six months of life and we do not need to use our money to buy milk for them, all things being equal, till they are above six months.
“Breast milk will come naturally and according to the World Health Organisation, it has all the nutrients your babies need to carry them for the first 6 months after which you begin complimentary feeding. Water is in the breast milk in the right quantity so there is no need to give water to a baby under 6 months who is exclusively breastfed.
“The Government of Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has equipped our health facilities and our Primary Health Care Centers are working efficiently in ensuring that Maternal and Newborn health is guaranteed and significantly reduce cases of casualties.”
On her part, the sensitization campaign team leader, Dr. Fatima Amuda, said, “The sensitisation campaign centred on the practice and benefits of early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding, and benefits of home gardening.”
Other participants in the campaign are Stakeholders in the State Committee for Food and Nutrition from Ministries of Communications, Health , Agriculture and Rural Development, Planning and Economic Development, Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development, Women Affairs, Primary Health Care Development Agency, Kwara State Agricultural Development Project, and Civil Society-Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria.
