Ogun vows to prioritize maternal, infant healthcare

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NIGERIA:  OGUN State government has affirmed its unrelenting determination to ensure that maternal and infant healthcare are always given utmost priority.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Otunba Adedayo Adeneye, stated this at the flagging-off of competition among pregnant women and nursing mothers of under six months on infant and child feeding organised by the state’s Ministry of Information and Strategy.

The programme, which was held in conjunction with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), was held in Ayetoro, Yewa North Local Government area.

The Commissioner, who described infancy as one of the most vulnerable stages of life, said that the present administration has invested hugely in the health sector since inception.

According to Adeneye, such efforts included “Araya” and “Gbomoro” programmes that have in no small measure impacted significantly on the well-being of the people of the state.

He said that children, as the future of any nation, should be given balanced diet to aid their development, while adding that malnutrition was a major threat to their growth.

The Commissioner, who appreciated UNICEF for its collaborative efforts in improving women and infants health, stated that the task of promoting quality infant nutrition cannot be done by government alone.

“The task cannot be done by government and its partners alone,” Adeneye, who urged nursing mothers to make judicious use of the programme, said.

“It is necessary that women and nursing mothers make judicious use of benefits of the forum,” he stressed, adding: “It is not just a quiz competition, but a platform to educate our women since infant stage is one of the most vulnerable stages of life.”

In his remarks, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Kola Peter Fagbohun, admonished mothers to concentrate on the upkeep of their children, pointing out that they have been charged with the responsibility of nurturing future leaders.

The Chairman, Yewa North Local Government, Hon. Adeagbo Rasaq Adigun, commended the Senator Ibikunle Amosun government and UNICEF for making Ayetoro the first beneficiary of the programme.

Adigun assured that his local government has set machinery in motion to key into the rebuilding mission of the state government.

The quiz competition at the event was won by Mrs. Soyebi Esther while Alalade Lateefat and Adebiyi Islamiy came second and third positions respectively.