The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged government, families, employers, media, and community influencers to work together in promoting effective breastfeeding practices across Nigeria.
Muhammad Okorie, UNICEF’s Social Policy Manager in Lagos, said exclusive breastfeeding remains one of the most effective ways to improve child survival, nutrition, and development, but requires a strong support system for mothers.
He called on government at all levels to strengthen policies that encourage exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and continued breastfeeding up to two years and beyond. According to him, extending maternity leave and creating flexible work options for women, particularly in the private sector, are critical steps.
“Creating a conducive working environment for mothers has become imperative in the face of multiple challenges working women face in practicing exclusive breastfeeding,” Okorie said. “The six months maternity leave already adopted in some states and at the federal level should be applicable nationwide, including in private workplaces.”
He also stressed the need to regulate advertisements of infant formula and substitutes, which he said often discourage mothers from embracing breastfeeding.
Highlighting the role of families, Okorie emphasised that strong family support is central to successful breastfeeding, as mothers need love, understanding, and encouragement to overcome stigma, cultural barriers, and misinformation. He urged fathers and extended family members to create peaceful and supportive home environments that help new mothers prioritize breastfeeding.
Okorie also underscored the importance of accurate information, tasking the media with promoting breastfeeding through awareness campaigns that challenge myths and cultural biases.
He recommended that mothers adopt the “1:6:24” approach — initiating breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months, and then introducing complementary foods while continuing breastfeeding for up to 24 months.
“The benefits of breastfeeding cannot be overstated,” Okorie said. “It promotes healthy growth, reduces infant mortality, strengthens the mother-child bond, and protects against malnutrition and infectious diseases.”
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