Wednesday, August 6, 2025 - The wife of Abia State Governor, Mrs Priscilla Otti, has disclosed that the state government may approve six months of maternity leave for nursing mothers in Abia State, while men whose wives give birth may also get three weeks of paternity leave.
She disclosed this on Tuesday at the World Breastfeeding
Week event held at the Abia State Children’s Specialist Hospital in Umuahia.
Mrs Otti, who also commissioned the renovated creche
facility at the High Court Complex, Umuahia, emphasized that the planned
extended leave aims to support couples in bonding with their newborns and
fostering harmony in households.
She urged Abia fathers to assist their wives with domestic
chores, which she said would allow nursing mothers to be focused on caring for
their babies.
The Abia First Lady reiterated the state’s commitment to
creating mother-friendly workplace policies and said that another creche is
under development at the State Secretariat in Umuahia.
On the theme of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week,
“Prioritise Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems,” she said that
breastfeeding is beneficial to both mothers and babies.
The Commissioner for Health, Professor Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche,
emphasized that breast milk provides all essential nutrients for infants,
laying the foundation for proper nutrition from birth.
Also, the Executive Secretary, Abia State Primary Health
Care Development Agency, Dr. Kalu Ulu Kalu, expressed concern that many nursing
mothers have continued to shun exclusive breastfeeding despite its proven
benefits.
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