The Abia State Government has approved six months of paid maternity leave for nursing mothers and three weeks for fathers.
First Lady Mrs. Priscilla Otti announced this during the World Breastfeeding Week celebration in Umuahia, explaining that the policy aims to promote exclusive breastfeeding, improve child health, and strengthen family bonding.
She encouraged fathers to use their paternity leave to support their wives, while also unveiling a new creche at the Abia State High Court and announcing another nearing completion at the state secretariat.
Mrs. Otti described breastfeeding as nature’s way of providing optimal nutrition for babies, aligning with this year’s theme, “Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems.”
Health Commissioner Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche and Dr. Kalu Ulu Kalu of the Primary Health Care Agency both stressed the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and the state’s efforts to raise awareness through training and community outreach.
“The six-month paid leave for nursing mothers and three weeks for fathers is to help promote exclusive breastfeeding, enable bonding with newborns, and foster peace and harmony in homes,” Mrs. Otti said.
She also called on fathers to actively support their partners during the paternity leave by assisting with household chores, thereby allowing mothers to focus on caring for their babies.
In a symbolic gesture reinforcing the government’s commitment, Mrs. Otti unveiled a newly built creche at the Abia State High Court headquarters in Umuahia, noting that she personally furnished and equipped the facility to make it functional, safe, and child-friendly.
She also disclosed that another creche facility is being completed at the State Secretariat, Ogurube Layout, to serve working parents in the civil service.
“We are committed to establishing creches in both public and private institutions across the state to support nursing mothers in the workplace,” the First Lady added.
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, lauded the policy and highlighted that “breastfeeding is a shared responsibility” that benefits the health of both mothers and infants. He emphasized that exclusive breastfeeding provides all the nutrients a baby needs and is key to reducing infant mortality.
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“Nutrition begins at the cradle. Breast milk is complete, free, and sustainable,” Prof. Uche noted.
Dr. Kalu Ulu Kalu, Executive Secretary of the Abia State Primary Health Care Development Agency, however, expressed concern that many mothers in the state still do not practice exclusive breastfeeding, despite its widely acknowledged benefits.
“It’s disheartening. Breast milk is the most effective child survival strategy, yet many mothers are not embracing it,” Dr. Kalu said.
He noted that the government, through the Primary Health Care Agency, is working on community engagement, health worker training, and education campaigns to reverse this trend.
Mrs. Otti also connected the practice of breastfeeding to the environment, noting that when breastfeeding is protected and supported, it reduces reliance on formula production, packaging, and waste, thereby supporting climate change mitigation efforts.