By Umayya Abubakar
The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, Bauchi Field office has adopted new strategies aimed at enhancing and improving the practice of exclusive breastfeeding of babies by their mothers in some of the states under it’s jurisdiction.
The UNICEF Nutrition Specialist in the zone,Mrs. Philomena Irene Stated this at a two day Media dialogue with over sixty journalists at an event held at Alheri Royal Hotel jimeta as part of activities marking this year’s World Breastfeeding Week.
Mrs.Irene explained that Adamawa State leads in exclusive breastfeeding by mothers in the zone with fifty three point three percent acceptability trailed by Plateau State with thirty eight point six percent while Taraba recorded thirty three point seven percent with Gombe and Bauchi States recording thirty point seven and twenty six point percent respectively.
The nutrition specialist while presenting a paper titled,” Journalists as Change Agents”, challenged the participants to shift focus from women to engaging men and grandmothers to make the differences on the issue of breastfeeding a child by the mother.
Mrs. Irene who called on the journalists to serve as new advocates of the new strategy of exclusive breastfeeding by taking advocacies to the fathers at their various locations and domains, noted that the aim of the new drive is to generate new champions of exclusive breastfeeding among fathers operating mainly in the informal sector.
She hoped that the journalists will document their experiences in small doable actions until success is attained.
In remark on behalf of the representatives of Adamawa State Muslim Council and the Christian Association of Nigerian, the District head of Nyibago , Abubakar Jika observed that the importance of exclusive breastfeeding cannot be overemphasized, pledging to work hand in hand with UNICEF to ensure the success of the new drive.
At the end of the two day engagement, participants visited three healthcare facilities in Fufore, Yola-North and Yola-south Local Government Areas to share experience with fathers who supported their wives on exclusive breastfeedin