Mirian Gom 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal Government has launched a nationwide campaign to improve child nutrition after revealing that only 29 per cent of Nigerian infants are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, despite almost all mothers breastfeeding their babies.
The alarming figures were disclosed on Monday as the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare commemorated World Breastfeeding Week 2026 and unveiled the First 1,000 Days Life Nutrition Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Campaign, aimed at improving maternal and child nutrition across Nigeria.
Speaking at the event in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said optimal breastfeeding remains one of the most effective and cost-efficient interventions for reducing child deaths and improving long-term health outcomes.
Represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ms. Daju Kachollom, the minister warned that poor nutrition during a child’s first 1,000 days—from conception to a child’s second birthday—can cause irreversible damage, including stunted growth, impaired brain development, weakened immunity and reduced productivity later in life.
“Breastfeeding is a life-saving intervention and one of the smartest investments in healthier children, stronger families and more resilient communities,” Pate said.
Despite widespread awareness, the minister noted that breastfeeding practices remain below national and global targets.
According to him, while 95 per cent of Nigerian mothers breastfeed, only 36 per cent initiate breastfeeding within the first hour after birth, and just 29 per cent exclusively breastfeed their babies during the first six months, a practice recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Pate urged stakeholders to ensure that the campaign extends beyond the Federal Capital Territory and reaches every part of the country through the Nutrition 774 Initiative, which targets all 774 local government areas.
“This campaign must not end in Abuja. It must reach all 774 local government areas through the Nutrition 774 framework and extend to every ward, primary healthcare centre and household,” he said.
UNICEF Nigeria Deputy Representative, Dr Rownak Khan, described exclusive breastfeeding as a child’s first line of defence against infections, malnutrition and preventable childhood deaths.
“Evidence consistently shows that scaling up breastfeeding could prevent hundreds of thousands of maternal and child deaths while improving children’s cognitive development,” Khan said.
The Director of Nutrition at the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Clementina Okoro, called for stronger national support for nursing mothers and urged governments, communities and development partners to work together to protect and promote breastfeeding.
The Executive Secretary of the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), Mr. Sunday Okoronkwo, described exclusive breastfeeding as the foundation of healthy populations and sustainable national development.
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Otamere Gladness 
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