Jigawa First Lady urges workplace support for nursing mothers to boost breastfeeding

The First Lady of Jigawa State, Hajiya Khadija Umar Namadi, has called on government institutions and private organisations to establish breastfeeding rooms in workplaces to better support nursing mothers.

Speaking in Kachi Town during the 2025 World Breastfeeding Week, Hajiya Namadi represented by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Hajiya Aisha Aminu Usman said exclusive breastfeeding remains critical to the survival, health, and development of children.

She noted that many mothers face the dual challenge of professional duties and childcare, often without adequate workplace support.

Mrs. Usman appealed to mothers to practise exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, describing breast milk as “the first vaccine every child needs.”

She said it strengthens immunity, lowers infant mortality, supports brain development, and is both natural and cost-free.

Figures from UNICEF show that just 34 per cent of Nigerian infants under six months are exclusively breastfed — far below the global target of 50 per cent.

Experts warn that inadequate breastfeeding practices contribute to high rates of malnutrition and preventable child deaths.

Health workers used the occasion to call for greater public awareness and the adoption of maternity-friendly policies across both the formal and informal sectors.

World Breastfeeding Week is observed annually to highlight the life-saving benefits of breastfeeding and to mobilise action in protecting maternal and child health.