UNICEF to make husbands, monarchs, others champions of breastfeeding campaign 

Disturbed by the poor performance of Adamawa,Taraba,Bauchi,Gombe and Plateau states on exclusive breastfeeding despite huge investments as indicated in 2021 Mics Breastfeeding statistics, the United Nation Children Fund (UNICEF) have adopted new strategy to improve on it in its states of jurisdiction.

Speaking at a two- day workshop on exclusive breastfeeding, held in Yola weekend with the theme: “Beyond Mothers: Analysing the Roles of Fathers and Community Stakeholder’s in Promoting Breastfeeding”, UNICEF nutrition specialist, Bauchi field office, Mrs. Phylomena Irine, urged fathers and community stakeholders to support their breastfeeding wives and take the lead in exclusive breastfeeding campaign.

She noted that husbands ,grandmothers, traditional and religious leaders have greater influences on their wives and the larger society, hence the need to focus on them and make them champions of breastfeeding campaign if any improvement must be recorded in exclusive breastfeeding campaign.

She said husbands must also imbibe the culture of always helping their breast feeding wives with some domestic works to enable them have adequate time to breast feed their babies.

Also speaking on behalf of traditional rulers, the district head of Nyanbango, Alhaji Abubakar Jika ,re- affirmed the commitments of traditional rulers to promote exclusive breastfeeding in their various communities which he said,they have been doing and is yielding positive result.

On their part, the chairman, Adamawa state Muslim Council, Mallam Gambo Jika and his CANò counterpart, Rev.Joel Danjuma Manzo, represented at the workshop promised to intensify their efforts through massive preaching on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding in their various churches and mosques.