The Federal Government and the United Nation Children Fund (UNICEF) have charged the media to step up public enlightenment on optimal breastfeeding of babies to prevent infant mortality and produce healthy and intelligent children.

Information minister Lai Mohammed and the chief of UNICEF Akure field office Tejinder Sadhu gave the charge in their separate remarks at a two-day Media Dialogue on Breastfeeding and Global Breastfeeding Collective in Ibadan.

The media dialogue was organized by the Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in collaboration with UNICEF and UK Department for International Development as part of activities marking the world breastfeeding week.

Mohammed, represented by the Assistant Director, Child Rights Information Bureau, Olumide Osanyinpeju urged journalists to assist in educating and sensitizing the public on the need to ensure optimal breastfeeding of infants.

According to him, there is need for all to rise up for the propagation, as early breastfeeding can make the difference between life and death. Government alone cannot fight this cause, hence, the need for collaboration with agencies, NGOs and other partners and organizations to advocate on how best to address the issue.

In his remarks, the UNICEF Chief of Akure Field office said this years edition of the annual world breastfeeding week with the theme Sustaining Breastfeeding Together was a significant event to promote breastfeeding.

Breastfed children have at least 6 times greater chance of survival in the early months than non-breastfed children. An exclusively breastfed child is 14 times less likely to die in the first six months than a non-breastfed child, he said.

UNICEF Communication Officer, Blessing Ejiofor said the dialogue is to provide journalists with more information and materials to hold government accountable to its responsibility to promote breastfeeding.

UNICEF Communication Specialist, Geoffrey Njoku said, There is need for aggressive reportage on breastfeeding with focus on increasing government funding to increase the rate of breastfeeding in Nigeria.

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FG, UNICEF charge media on public enlightenment on optimal breastfeeding - Daily Trust