Lagos: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and a health expert have called for stronger support systems and urgent policy reviews to promote effective breastfeeding and tackle hunger, rising transport fares and high rents in Nigeria.
Mr. Muhammad Okorie, Social Policy Manager of UNICEF, Lagos, told journalists on Sunday that promoting breastfeeding requires the collective effort of government, employers, influencers, families, the media and the public.
He said government policies should cultivate a breastfeeding culture that encourages mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months of life, and continue breastfeeding up to two years and beyond.
Okorie also called for regulation of advertisements promoting breast milk substitutes, warning that such campaigns discourage mothers from embracing the natural practice.
He stressed the importance of creating flexible working options for nursing mothers, particularly in the private sector, and urged that six months’ maternity leave be made uniform across all states.
“For every safe delivery where the mother is alive, healthy and lactating well, there is no reason whatsoever to go for substitutes,” he said.
The UNICEF official underscored the role of family members in creating a peaceful and loving environment that helps mothers overcome stigma, misinformation and cultural barriers.
He urged families to provide consistent support, communication, love and understanding to enable mothers to breastfeed effectively.
He further encouraged mothers to adopt the “1:6:24” breastfeeding model, initiating breastfeeding within one hour of birth, exclusively breastfeeding for six months, and continuing alongside complementary foods for 24 months.
Okorie described breastfeeding as vital not only for infant growth and nutrition, but also for strengthening the mother-child bond, reducing infant mortality and protecting against infectious diseases.
He urged the media to continue disseminating accurate information to break cultural barriers and misconceptions around breastfeeding.
Meanwhile, a pharmacist and Chairman of ST. Racheal’s Pharmaceutical Nigeria Ltd., Mr. Akinjide Adeosun, also appealed to the Federal Government to urgently review its reforms to address hunger and the high cost of living.
Speaking in Lagos at the grand finale of his 57th birthday celebration tagged “Thanksgiving in Freedom,” Adeosun said leadership must focus on ending hardship, hunger and insecurity.
He linked food security to national health, warning that subsidy removal without proper cushioning measures had worsened poverty and anger.
“There is a huge link between food and the health condition of the people. We must prioritise food, transport and rents. Our reforms cannot be cast in stone; they must be reviewed where necessary,” he said.
The pharmacist, who unveiled a food bank to support vulnerable people during the event, said he had interviewed cleaners, security guards and low-income earners in Lekki, Ikoyi and Victoria Island, and found hunger, high fares and rents to be their biggest concerns.
He urged government to partner with individuals and corporate organisations to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2, “Zero Hunger,” and improve life expectancy in the country.
While commending President Bola Tinubu’s subsidy removal, Adeosun said measures should have been taken to mitigate its effects, adding that only industrial growth could permanently reduce inflation.
“We cannot use palliatives to solve this. They can only be solved through macroeconomics. There is urgent need for investment in manufacturing and production. We must move Nigeria from a consumption to a production nation,” he said.
Adeosun recommended crude oil discounts for local refining firms like Dangote Refinery to cut petrol prices and inflation, suggesting models such as “buy five barrels and get one free” or a 20 per cent naira price discount.
He also urged similar concessions for producers of flour, cement and farm produce to lower commodity prices and rents.
On saboteurs, the philanthropist advocated death penalties for economic criminals, as practised in Singapore and China, and urged government to expand grassroots infrastructure, including schools and hospitals.
“Prices will come down automatically when we strengthen local production and reduce dependence on imports. That is the pathway to real economic freedom,” he said
