By Gabriel Yough
Mr Alphonsus Ande, the owner of a popular barbershop beside the Taraba Civil Service Commission in Jalingo, says he will lead a campaign for exclusive breastfeeding among his teaming customers to enhance children’s health.
Ande told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Jalingo that his three children have been beneficiaries of exclusive breastfeeding, and they were growing up as very healthy children.
The barber explained that he got the idea about the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding from the biology class in his secondary school days and later supported his wife to achieve it.
“My family is very deliberate about
exclusive breastfeeding for our children, given the health benefits that children stand to gain.
“I already had an idea of the numerous benefits of this practice in my biology class during my secondary school days and got it confirmed anytime they are celebrating World Breastfeeding Week.
“What I have not been doing is passing the valuable information to other men, who troop to my shop daily to have haircuts to ensure the benefits get to other children.
“From today, I promise you that this will become a daily topic in this shop,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bauchi Field Office, has recently held a media dialogue in Yola with a view to empowering journalists to escalate the breastfeeding campaign in their areas, Bauchi Field Office of UNICEF comprises Bauchi, Jos, Adamawa, Taraba, and Gombe states.
Mrs Philomina Irene, UNICEF Nutrition Specialists, in a separate interview with NAN listed the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, including protection of children against infections, helping the intestine to mature, and promotion of growth and development.
Others she said were reduction of risk of cardiovascular diseases through life, prevention of allergies, enhancement of academic performance, among others.
She noted that despite the huge resources expended by UNICEF and others over the years in interventions targeting policymakers and mothers, the desired outcome was not achieved.
“After spending so much time and funds in interventions targeting policymakers and mothers, the result is still a far cry.
“We have decided to focus on fathers and grandmothers, who are believed to be more influential in a family,” she said.
Irene explained that the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2021 showed that Adamawa has 53.3 per cent, Bauchi 26.4 per cent, Gombe 30.6 per cent, Plateau 38.6 per cent and Taraba 33.7 per cent breastfeeding coverage, respectively.
She described the figures as worrisome and encouraged lactating mothers to exclusively breastfeed their children.
According to her, UNICEF believes that the commitment from husbands and grandmothers would change the narrative for the better.
She called on journalists to take the campaign to all the nooks and crannies of society to ensure improvement in exclusive breastfeeding for healthy babies for a healthy society. NAN
