By Rauf Oyewole, Bauchi
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Country Representative in Nigeria, Ms Wafaa Saeed, has called for increased investment in child welfare, stressing that children and women deserve comprehensive support to reach their full potential.
Ms Saeed made the call during her working visit to Bauchi State, North-East Nigeria, where she toured communities under the Bauchi Field Office. Speaking at the palace of the District Head of Kafin Madaki in Ganjuwa Local Government Area on Wednesday, she said it was essential to prioritise education, nutrition, and vaccination for children, in keeping with cultural and religious values that emphasise care for the young.
She appealed to District Head Mohammed Baba and other local stakeholders to actively promote vaccination campaigns, enrolment of children in schools, and exclusive breastfeeding for infants.
During her visit to Kafin Madaki, Ms Saeed inspected the work of grassroots health initiatives, including the Mama-2-Mama and Father-4-Good Health groups. She encouraged women to embrace routine immunisation and to help combat the challenge of zero-dose children, those who have not received any vaccines.
The District Head, Mohammed Baba, commended the UNICEF representative for choosing his community as her first stop and acknowledged UNICEF’s significant contributions to improving the welfare of women and children in the area.
He pledged to continue collaborating with grassroots mobilisers, traditional leaders, and community members to promote health and well-being. Baba also noted that sustained efforts by local authorities, traditional institutions, and stakeholders had led to the eradication of open defecation in the local government area.
“We have been able to eliminate cholera, which has affected some local government areas in the past,” he said. “We appreciate UNICEF for establishing the Mama-2-Mama programme and supporting grassroots health mobilisation.”
