Daud Olatunji
The United Nations Children’s Fund has called on employers, healthcare workers and families to provide stronger support for breastfeeding mothers, warning that only about three in every 10 Nigerian babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life.
The UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Lagos, Celine Lafoucriere, made the appeal in a statement made available to PLATFORM TIMES to commemorate the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week, stressing that improved breastfeeding practices could significantly reduce childhood illnesses and give children a healthier start in life.
Lafoucriere described breastmilk as “the first vaccine every baby receives,” noting that it protects infants from diseases, supports brain development and provides optimal nutrition at no financial cost.
She, however, lamented that although most Nigerian mothers breastfeed their children, many do not follow the recommended practices.
According to her, only one in three newborns in the country is breastfed within the first hour after birth, while just three in 10 babies receive exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life without water, infant formula or solid foods.
“In southwest Nigeria, with our hospitals, our markets and our busy working mothers, we can change that number,” she said.
The UNICEF official stressed that successful breastfeeding requires collective support rather than placing the responsibility solely on mothers.
She urged employers to create breastfeeding-friendly workplaces by providing nursing mothers with adequate time and private spaces to breastfeed or express breastmilk.
Lafoucriere also called on healthcare workers to ensure newborns are placed on their mothers’ breasts within the first hour of delivery and to provide accurate information about infant feeding, free from the influence of aggressive formula marketing.
She further appealed to husbands, grandparents, religious leaders and other family members to encourage breastfeeding mothers instead of discouraging or questioning their decisions.
“A mother cannot do this alone. She needs a workplace that gives her time and space to breastfeed.
“She needs a health worker who tells her the truth about formula marketing. She needs her own mother, her husband, her mother-in-law, her pastor and her imam standing behind her, not questioning her,” Lafoucriere said.
She praised mothers who continue breastfeeding despite the challenges of balancing childcare with work and other responsibilities, assuring them of UNICEF’s continued support.
“To every mother in Lagos feeding her child right now, alone in the quiet hours of the night, we see you. You are giving your child your first and best gift. UNICEF, its partners and the government stand with you,” she added.
World Breastfeeding Week is observed annually from August 1 to 7 to promote breastfeeding as a critical strategy for improving child survival, nutrition and overall development.
Health experts recommend that babies be breastfed within the first hour of birth, fed exclusively on breastmilk for the first six months, and continue breastfeeding alongside complementary foods up to two years of age or beyond.
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