The Abia State Government is proposing to introduce a six-month paid maternity leave for nursing mothers and a three-week paternity leave for fathers, as part of efforts to promote child welfare and support families.
The Governor’s wife, Mrs. Priscilla Otti, announced the plan on Tuesday during the World Breastfeeding Week event at the Abia State Children’s Specialist Hospital in Umuahia. She emphasized that the extended leave policy aims to help parents bond with their newborns and foster household harmony.
“Our government is committed to mother-friendly workplace policies to ensure that nursing mothers can properly care for their babies while fathers also play an active role,” Mrs. Otti stated. She urged husbands to assist their wives with domestic chores to ease the burden on new mothers.
Under this year’s theme, “Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems,” Mrs. Otti highlighted the importance of breastfeeding in ensuring infant nutrition and food security, particularly amid climate challenges. She called on communities, traditional leaders, and women’s groups to promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life.
During the event, she also commissioned a newly renovated creche at the State High Court Complex in Umuahia, designed to help working mothers balance childcare and professional duties. She revealed that another creche is underway at the State Secretariat, reinforcing the government’s commitment to workplace support for nursing mothers.
The State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Uche, stressed that breast milk provides essential nutrients for infants, while the Executive Secretary of the Abia State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Kalu Ulu Kalu, expressed concern over low exclusive breastfeeding rates despite its proven benefits.
The proposed leave policy and creche initiatives align with the state’s broader efforts to create an enabling environment for working parents and improve child health outcomes.
