Bauchi Governor's Wife flags off 2026 world breastfeeding week, urges women to practice exclusive breastfeeding

By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi

Wife of Bauchi State Governor, Hajiya Aisha Bala Mohammed, on Tuesday, officially flagged of the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week with a call on women to imbibe the culture of exclusive breastfeeding of their babies for the first 1,000 days of life.

The First Lady was represented at the ceremony by the Wife of the Deputy Governor, Hajiya Asmau Auwal Jatau, held at the Urban Maternity, Kofan Ran Primary Healthcare Centre.

She said, “The theme of 2026 World Breastfeeding Week is Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life, Work Well. I want to congratulate the good people of Bauchi State for observing 2026 World Breastfeeding Week commemoration and for the opportunity given today to me to address this distinguished gathering on the importance of this occasion.”

According to her, “To celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, maternal and child health and nutrition remain the top priority of the present administration of the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammad.”

She stressed that, “This government has shown the will and continues to demonstrate a commitment and leadership towards the well-being of our communities, especially children under five, pregnant and lactating mothers.”

The First Lady stressed that, “Many innovations and programmes have been implemented towards having a healthy state and to reduce the rate of malnutrition. His Excellency has approved the extension of maternity leave in Bauchi State Civil Service from four to six months in order to support exclusive breastfeeding and increase bonding, thereby reducing economic hardship.”

Aisha Bala Mohammed stressed that,”Nutrition activities in the state are being supported by the government and international partners in the area of prevention and addressing moderate and severe acute malnutrition. The present administration had approved the child nutrition fund of N500 million marching grant.”

“I want to ensure you that this administration, led by the Governor, Bala Muhammad, is providing the enabling environment for foreign and international donor agencies, especially UNICEF, Helen Keller International, Nutrition International, CARE, and other MOU partners in ensuring that every ward in the state have a functional primary healthcare facility to reduce the hardship caused while seeking for quality healthcare services, including nutrition,” She added.

According to the First Lady, “Bauchi State Government will continue to work with all stakeholders and sustain commitments made to the health sectors to improve the lives of our people. It is on this note that I call on the entire people of Bauchi State to support their families and community on breastfeeding practice during the long week activity and beyond.

Aisha Bala Mohammed concluded, “At this juncture, ladies and gentlemen, with these few remarks, I employ all mothers to breastfeed their babies exclusively from zero to six months, start complementary feeding at six months with continued breastfeeding.”

In his opening remarks, State Commissioner of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Sani Mohammed Dambam, lamented that,”Despite the progress recorded over the years, Bauchi State continues to face significant maternal and child nutrition challenges. According to the 2023/2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), the prevalence of stunting among children in the state stands at 61.7% while wasting has reduced to 5.2%, representing an improvement compared to the 2018 NDHS.”

Represented by the Executive Chairman, Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, he added that,”However, anaemia among women of reproductive age remains high at 54.4%, while the exclusive breastfeeding rate is only 40%. These figures clearly indicate the need to intensify both preventive and curative nutrition interventions to improve maternal and child health outcomes across the state.*

The Commissioner stressed that,
“In response to these challenges, the Bauchi State Government has continued to implement evidence-based nutrition interventions, including the provision of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) for pregnant women, the prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition through Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), and preventive nutrition interventions using Small Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS). These interventions are aimed at reducing maternal and child mortality while ensuring that every child has the opportunity to survive and thrive.”

“I am pleased to restate the commitment of the Bauchi State Government, under the purposeful leadership Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, to improving the nutritional status of women and children. This commitment is demonstrated through the timely release of counterpart funding, increased budgetary allocations for nutrition programs support through the Child Nutrition Fund, and
the implementation of the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAP) to strengthen nutrition and primary healthcare services across the state,” he added.

The Commissioner also used the opportunity to call on fathers, husbands, community leaders, employers, and all members of society to support breastfeeding mothers.

According to him,”Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life is not solely the responsibility of mothers; it requires the understanding, encouragement, and active support of families, workplaces, communities, and government. Together we can create an enabling environment where every mother is empowered to breastfeed successfully.”

Sani Mohammed Dambam added,
“Although World Breastfeeding Week is commemorated over seven days, our commitment to supporting breastfeeding must extend throughout the year. Let us continue to build sustainable support systems that will ensure every child born in Bauchi State receives the best possible start in life through optimal breastfeeding practices.

Also speaking, the Chief of Field, Bauchi UNICEF Field Of United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Dr Nuzhat Rafique, stressed the importance of Early initiation of breastfeeding, Exclusive breastfeeding, and preventing malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of life of every child.

Nuzhat Rafique, described breastfeeding as a proven, life-saving practice and urged mothers to adopt optimal breastfeeding practices for the healthy growth and survival of their children.

She also said that this year’s World Breastfeeding Week with theme, “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works,” emphasises the need to build on proven interventions that improve child nutrition.

She also praised the state government for allocating N500m as counterpart funding for the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF), expressing optimism that the funds would be released promptly to procure nutrition supplies.

According to her, although more than Nine in every Ten mothers in Bauchi State breastfeed their children, optimal breastfeeding practices remain low.

“As I said, breastfeeding remains a valued practice with more than nine in 10 mothers breastfeeding their children, but unfortunately the optimal practices are not there,” she said.

Nuzhat Rafique disclosed that only 12 per cent of newborns in Bauchi are breastfed within the first hour of birth, while only 26 per cent of infants are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life.

The representative of the First Lady supported by the UNICEF Chief, Nuzhat Rafique, later presented gifts to three women who were adjudged best in the state in exclusive breastfeeding of their new born children from the first day of delivery.