Benue residents stage road walk to embrace exclusive breastfeeding campaign
August 7, 2026 2:48 am
By John Charles
Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State was agog on Wednesday as it joined the global celebration in a road walk and community sensitisation campaign across major streets of the town to educate residents on the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding.
Two breastfeeding mothers who spoke to journalists on the importance of breastfeeding and the essence of the sensitisation exercise, described it as educative and necessary to help future mothers.
Mrs Aisha Okwa whose child was a-day-old as of Wednesday, described breastfeeding as the best way to achieving a healthy baby, adding that she had earlier applied exclusive breastfeeding for her two older children and who are confirmed by medics to be very healthy.
Okwa said, “I gave birth yesterday (Tuesday, August 4, 2026) and within one hour of her birth of I breastfed my baby and this baby is my third child. For the two children, I also observed exclusive breastfeeding for them and I can attest that it works well for them. “My children are healthy and if you see them you will love them.
Also, in her testimony, Madam Ene Ogoli One, who is a mother of three children; the last, being only a-week-old, equally testified to the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.
She claimed that she breastfeeds her new born baby every 30 minutes.
The Otukpo Local Government Chairman, Maxwell Ogiri, who joined in the road walk commended the UNICEF for it’s support to the programme and described mothers as the people with first miracle of carrying life in their womb for nine months.
Ogiri assured that the local government will continue to partner with UNICEF and other donor partners on the exclusive breastfeeding campaign, especially with mothers and other stakeholders.
Earlier, the Nutrition Focal Person, Otukpo,
Mrs Ene Omale described the first milk as yellowish in colour which when administered to babies prevents babies from contacting infection, adding that it makes children grow healthy.
“It helps mother control bleeding and it helps to develop and baby’s intelligence quotient. There is no need to give water to babies during exclusive breastfeeding because there is more than enough water in breast milk. After six months you start supplementary feeding to the babies,” Omale advised
Earlier, the Benue State Primary Health Care Board, in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health and Human Services, UNICEF and other development partners officially flagged off the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week celebration and launched the First 1,000 Days Campaign Posters in Benue State.
The event which held on Monday at the Benue State University Teaching Hospitall Makurdi, brought together government officials, development partners, healthcare professionals, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, community volunteers, mothers, caregivers and other stakeholders committed to improving maternal, newborn and child nutrition across the state.
The 2026 World Breastfeeding Week was celebrated under the global theme, “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works, “highlighting the critical role of breastfeeding in ensuring child survival, optimal growth, improved immunity and sustainable development.
The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr, Ogwuche Ejeh Paul, expressed appreciation to UNICEF, the World Health Organisation, Helen Keller International and other development partners for their continued collaboration in strengthening nutrition programmes and improving maternal and child health outcomes in Benue State.
He described breastfeeding as one of the most effective, affordable and evidence-based interventions for reducing infant mortality, preventing malnutrition and laying a strong foundation for healthy growth and lifelong development.
According to him, the launch of the First 1,000 Days Campaign represented another significant milestone in the state’s efforts to improve maternal, infant and young child nutrition.
The period from conception to a child’s second birthday provides a unique opportunity to influence a child’s physical growth, brain development, learning capacity and future productivity through proper maternal nutrition, early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and appropriate complementary feeding thereafter.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner expressed concern over the persistent burden of malnutrition in the state, particularly among children and mothers in Internally Displaced Persons camps, where displacement, food insecurity, inadequate sanitation and limited livelihoods continue to expose vulnerable populations to acute malnutrition and other nutrition-related challenges.
Speaking on the significance of the newly launched campaign materials, Dr. Ogwuche said the First 1,000 Days Campaign Posters will serve as vital advocacy and behaviour change communication tools to promote healthy nutrition practices and strengthen public awareness on the importance of maternal and child nutrition.
Arewa PUNCH reports that the flag-off ceremony reaffirmed the Benue State Government’s commitment to reducing malnutrition, improving child survival and achieving better health outcomes through strategic partnerships, community engagement and sustained investments in maternal, newborn and child health.
Earlier, the Chief Medical Director of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital Makurdi, Dr Stephen Huwande who, like others, equally described breast milk as the ideal nutrition for infants, lamented that career pressures and misconceptions among working class mothers were affecting exclusive breastfeeding practices.
“There is nothing better than human breast milk. It provides immunity, serves as the baby’s first immunisation, promotes intelligence and strengthens the emotional bond between mother and child.
“For mothers, in the rural areas, most of them have enough time for exclusive breastfeeding but in the urban centers where most of them are working class, the campaign is mostly for them.
“As a result, it’s good that government and employers should establish crèches in workplaces so that nursing mothers can conveniently breastfeed their babies,” Hwande said.
He commended UNICEF for complementing the government’s efforts in healthcare delivery, saying stronger collaboration would further improve maternal and child health outcomes.
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