Nigeria Content Online

President Goodluck
Jonathan has advised mothers to adopt good feeding practices to ensure
the optimal growth of their children. He gave the advice on Thursday in
Abuja at the 2010 National Children’s Day celebration.

Represented by the
FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed, the President also urged mothers to imbibe
good maternal eating habits to boost their health and the well being of
their babies.

He said Nigeria is
burdened by a large army of orphans and vulnerable children estimated
at 17.5 million, out of which 7.3 million are orphans.

“Children orphaned
as a result of HIV/AIDS pandemic are especially vulnerable as the
disease primarily affects adults of child bearing age,” he said. “This
development has greatly affected the parenting abilities of the
population, thereby impacting negatively on the survival, development
and protection rights of the children in the country.”

Mr Jonathan said
the theme, ‘Partnering to Improve the Nutrition of our Mothers and
Children,’ was apt, and promised that his administration would reduce
to the barest minimum the high maternal and child mortality.

Safeguarding the rights of the child

In a related
development, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, yesterday called
on government at all levels to work collectively towards safeguarding
the rights of children.

Mr Mimiko, who was
speaking at this year’s Children Day Celebration held at the Akure
Township Stadium, said his administration was working towards the
implementation of child right act to protect the rights of children.

The governor also
promised that maternal mortality rate in the state will reduce by 50
percent before the end of next year, adding that the implementation of
the child right act would improve the quality of lives of children and
make them part of the society.

His Anambra State
counterpart, Peter Obi, also assured the children of the state that he
would continue to provide infrastructure and promote policies that
guarantees the future of the state, especially children whom he
described as the future of every society.

He said events such
as the Children’s Day offered adults, especially those governing
states, the opportunity to reflect on the type of society they would
bequeath to the children, including the generations unborn. He lamented
the increase of vices in society and called on different families to
inculcate right values on the children.

Mr. Obi promised he
would not relent in his programme of rebuilding dilapidated schools,
supply of computers and laboratory equipment to schools and other
actions that would contribute in making Anambra children fit for
competition with their peers anywhere.

Protecting mother and child

Mr Mimiko also
stressed that the predicament of children in the face of the onerous
challenges to their survival and well being gives cause for concern,
and expressed worry at “the socio-economic disempowerment of women,
which has been a major factor in the increasing rate of maternal
mortality and morbidity, especially in a developing country as ours.”

The governor said
the improved health of mother and child must consequently be accorded
the needed priority, if the millennium development goals must be
achieved.

According to him, some of the efforts made by his government at
reducing the maternal and mortality rate included the safe motherhood
initiative, establishment of paediatric anti-retroviral therapy centre,
and prevention of mother to child transmission sites. He also added
that his administration had initiated a comprehensive infant feeding
programme through the provision of free baby formula to all children
born to HIV-infected mothers to boost their nutritional requirements
and forestall post-natal transmission of the virus to the children.