By Murtala Muhammad
The Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition (CSSUN) has renewed its advocacy for an increase in maternity leave from three to six months, with full pay, and the establishment of crèches in all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in Bauchi State.
The Co-chair of CSSUN’s Steering Committee, Ms Aji Robinson, who led a delegation from Abuja, made the call during an advocacy visit to the state’s MDAs.
Ms Robinson emphasised that the extension of maternity leave was crucial, as it would enable lactating mothers to practise exclusive breastfeeding without concerns about their jobs.
She noted that complementary feeding was necessary after the six-month exclusive breastfeeding period, as food and water would then be introduced to support a child’s growth and development.
Ms Robinson stressed the importance of breastfeeding for newborns, stating that it plays a vital role in meeting children’s nutritional needs during their first 1,000 days, from conception to their second birthday.
She expressed concern over the findings of the 2023/2024 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), which revealed that Bauchi’s malnutrition burden stands at 56.4%—a figure higher than the national average.
The Co-chair, CSSUN Steering Committee who called on the state government to invest a minimum of one hundred million naira in Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) to enable it get double of that amount in nutrition commodities that would cater for malnourished children, said doing so would go a long way in reversing the state’s malnutrition indices.
Among the MDAs visited by the delegation were the Ministries of Water Resources; Budget, Economic Planning, and Multilateral Coordination; Health; and Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, as well as the Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
The MDAs assured their support for CSSUN in achieving its goals.
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