In Kogi State, There’s No Alternative To Adequate And Exclusive Breastfeeding – Ministry of Health.

Yahaya Bello.

The Government of Kogi State, through the Ministry of Health has called on nursing mothers to ensure adequate breastfeeding for their children, saying exclusive and adequate breastfeeding is a panacea for a healthier nation.

This was made public by the State Coordinator, Maternal and Child Health program, Mrs. Ajakaiye Sadat who stated this at the sideline of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week; with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, calling for national efforts to improve the health, nutrition, education, and general welfare of children.

According to Mrs. Sadat, adequate breastfeeding had, over the years, prevented several childhood diseases and brought lifelong positive benefits especially in the risk reduction for breast and ovarian cancers.

She described breast milk as free and natural food, that formed a critical part of a sustainable food system. “Breastfeeding is key to all child, exclusive breastfeeding is paramount. A child giving an opportunity for exclusive and adequate breastfeeding lives a healthy and happy life.

They grow better, have high IQ, hardly fall sick, do well in life, don’t suffer retardation, nor stunted growths. They are far from malnutrition.”

She further said that the state has scaled up its sensitization program for adequate breastfeeding especially in rural areas; which had yielded a positive result, as according to her, “Last year, we kick-started a program: ‘Infant and Young Child Feeding’, with major target on exclusive breastfeeding because, we realized that our people do not value exclusive breastfeeding and “Within a week they (mother’s) introduced paps, local herbs because they felt breast milk will not be enough for the child. But breast milk has enough water.

Breast milk is free of charge, always available in the right temperature. God made breast milk perfect.”