By Mustapha Adamu, Kano
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on the Kano State Government to introduce a six-month paid maternity leave policy for nursing mothers to improve exclusive breastfeeding and child survival rates.
The appeal was made by the Chief of UNICEF’s Kano Field Office, Shafeeq Ur-Rehman, during the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week road walk held in Kano.
Ur-Rehman said many women are forced to return to work shortly after childbirth, making it difficult to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the recommended first six months of life.
He urged governments, employers, communities and families to strengthen support for breastfeeding mothers by adopting family-friendly workplace policies, including six months of paid maternity leave, flexible work schedules, breastfeeding breaks, private lactation rooms and facilities for the safe storage of expressed breast milk.
According to him, only 14 states in Nigeria currently provide six months of paid maternity leave, enabling mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies during the critical early stages of development.
He called on the remaining 22 states, including Kano, Jigawa and Katsina, to adopt similar policies to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
Describing breastfeeding as “the wise choice for every child, every mother and every nation,” Ur-Rehman noted that although more than 90 per cent of Nigerian mothers breastfeed their children, optimal breastfeeding practices remain significantly low.
He cited findings from the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), which revealed that fewer than one in 10 newborns are breastfed within the first hour after birth, while only about one in 10 infants are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life.
Speaking on this year’s World Breastfeeding Week theme, “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works,” Ur-Rehman described breast milk as the most sustainable source of nutrition for infants and a child’s first vaccine against disease, malnutrition and preventable deaths.
He reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to partnering with the Federal Government, state governments and development partners to ensure that every Nigerian child survives, thrives and reaches their full potential.
Also speaking at the event, Kano State Nutrition Officer, Aishatu Sulaiman, said the awareness campaign aims to promote exclusive breastfeeding from birth to six months, followed by continued breastfeeding alongside appropriate complementary feeding until the age of two years.
She explained that breast milk provides all the nutrients needed for healthy growth, strengthens children’s immune systems and plays a crucial role in preventing malnutrition.
Sulaiman urged mothers to embrace exclusive breastfeeding, describing it as one of the most effective and affordable interventions for improving child survival, growth and development.
The World Breastfeeding Week road walk attracted government officials, development partners, healthcare professionals, civil society organisations and other stakeholders committed to promoting maternal and child health.
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