From Olanrewaju Lawal Birnin Kebbi
Wife of the Kebbi state Governor, Hajiya Nafisa Nasir Idris has urged nursing mothers to sustain exclusively breastfeeding of their babies in order to ensure healthy babies.
The Governor’s Wife who stated this in Birnin Kebbi while speaking during celebration of world breastfeeding day ,presented gifts and other items to some nursing mothers who have excelled in practicing exclusive breastfeeding .
Idris,while speaking on the important of the exclusive breastfeeding, explained that,if babies were properly breastfed for six months,they would stay healthy, grow well without any growth retardation.
“I want to urge our mothers to continue to practice exclusive breastfeeding. I want to appeal to our husbands too to allow their pregnant women to attend antenatal and allow them to give birth in hospitals”.
The Governor’s wife, who expressed appreciation for the awards given to her and other stakeholders for their support to the health sector, however commended the Ministry of Health for it’s efforts on sensitising nursing mothers on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.
Earlier, a Lecturer from the Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Birnin Kebbi(FUBK) , Dr. Yusuf Abdulrahman in his lecture on the important of exclusive breastfeeding, noted that it would always prevents babies against contacting diseases among other communicable diseases.
In his remark,the Commissioner of Health, Yunusa Musa Ismail, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Shehu Koko, said the World Health Organisation has chosen August 1st to 7th, of every year as World Breastfeeding Week with the aim of sensitizing the people on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.
Highlights of the event include awards presentation to Hajiya Nafisa Nasir Idris as nutrition champion of Kebbi state and mother of nutrition, as well as presentation of gifts to mothers who exclusively breastfed their babies among others.