From Our Correspondent In Makurdi
The Commissioner for Youth, Sport and Creativity, Mr Terkimbi Ikyange, said the three months given to nursing mothers as maternity leave was grossly inadequate for working class women to achieve the goal of exclusive breastfeeding.
Ikyange made this known when members of the Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) led by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Coordinator, Ngozika Ibhadode, paid him advocacy visit on Monday in Makurdi.
Ikyange reiterated that the three months for that paid maternity leave was too short to enable women to exclusively breastfeed their children for the required duration of six months.
He, however, added that the working class women were not many, stressing that they should be extend their advocacy to the larger society.
He further encouraged them take their advocacy visit to the Benue State House of Assembly, Association of Wives of Assembly Members, commissioners wives, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), and relevant stakeholders so as to escalate their message.
He stated that he was fully aware of the immense benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, promising that the ministry would support their intentions wholeheartedly.
He disclosed that at the moment there was no desk officer for nutrition in the ministry but he promised that the nutrition unit would be created after due consultations with the relevant authorities.
Earlier, the FCT coordinator encouraged Benue to join the states that had approved six months paid maternity leave for nursing mothers.
She disclosed that so far 13 put of 36 states had implemented the six months paid maternity leave.
"Instead of treating malnutrition, use the opportunity to exclusively breastfeed your children," she said.
She advised every ministry to create a nutrition unit and make a budget line for nutrition.
