The Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Dr Ipalibo Harry-Banigo has been conferred with the lead advocacy role of “Breastfeeding Advocate Champion” in the state.
Making the conferment at a two-day advocacy/orientation meeting with Women Policy Makers and Wives of Political Leaders on Breastfeeding and the International Code of Breast Milk Substitutes in Rivers State, last Monday, at the NBA House, Port Harcourt, the wife of the state Governor, Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike, stated that the honour was well-deserved.
“I am very pleased to have the singular honour of conferring the lead advocacy role to none other than a woman of substance, a woman with a proven record of excellent leadership, charm, discipline and dynamism, who in addition to being a medical doctor and mother, has a passion for the development of women in the society”, she said.
Justice Wike, who is the Number 1 Nutrition Champion of the state, noted that malnutrition and diet-related non-communicable diseases remain public health challenges, especially among women and children.
According to her, “studies show that Nigeria has the highest number of stunted children under five in Sub-Saharan Africa, and ranks second highest in the world with 32 per cent of children under the age of five classified as stunted”.
Emphasising the importance of breastfeeding, the governor’s wife stated that the National Nutrition Health Survey Report of 2018 shows that while 41 per cent of children of age 0-6 months initiate breastfeeding in the state, 9.1 per cent actually continue breastfeeding up to the second year of life.
This, she said, falls short of the state’s desire to hit the 100 per cent mark set at the launch of the “Breastfeeding Collective” in the state.
“Breastfeeding”, she said, “has enormous benefits to the baby in the areas of mental, physical, and social development.
“It has collateral benefits to the health and socio-economic development of the motherhood and requires very simple effort to accomplish.
“The gains are opulent with significant impact on the public health indices of societal development in general”, she explained.
She, therefore, called for commitment on the part of stakeholders towards ensuring that everything was done to maximize benefits accruable from breastfeeding.
The wife of the State Chief Executive advocated for more intensive breastfeeding lessons during antenatal visits to hospitals.
In her acceptance speech, the Deputy Governor, Dr Ipalibo Harry-Banigo expressed happiness over the recognition and appointment, assuring that she would do her best to live up to expectation.
The deputy governor, however, urged all stakeholders to advocate the importance of breastfeeding in order to ensure healthy children in Rivers State, saying that breastfeeding was key to achieving set nutritional goals.
She said that the Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike was committed to tackling the health challenges of the Rivers people, especially children and mothers, which according to her, informed his decision to construct top notch health facilities across the state, including a Mother and Child Hospital, which has attracted a lot of accolades to the state.