No fewer than 1,000 vulnerable and indigent women residents will benefit from the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation’s Advocacy on healthy nutrition across the three Senatorial Districts of the State.
Speaking at the flag-off of the nutrition advocacy programme held at the Lagos City Centre, Sura, on Thursday, the Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Mrs. Cecilia Bolaji Dada, disclosed that healthy nutrition is essential for mothers across the metropolis.
She said: “The focus of this programme is to improve the nutritional status, reduce wastage, curb stunted growth, manage obesity or micronutrient deficiencies, as well as regulate indicators on health issues such as anthropometric status or biochemical indicators of micronutrient status, common in human beings”.
The Commissioner informed that the Ministry will distribute about 300 nutrition packs to beneficiaries in Lagos Island-East Local Council Development Area and subsequently hold a similar programme in Ikorodu and Isolo Local Government/Local Council Development Areas.
“The intervention of the State Government through this programme is crucial, considering the high death rate of women due to inadequate nutrition. Good health implies the absence of diseases as well as the complete physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being of every individual. As such, I must admonish all participants at today’s programme to always be mindful of what you eat to stay healthy”, she added
While explaining that the selection process of beneficiaries was conducted through the social register domiciled in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mrs. Dada maintained that every mother must get good nutrition for herself and her household.
In his address, the Executive Chairman, Lagos Island-East Local Council Development Area, Mr. Muibi Alade Folawiyo, commended the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Cecilia Bolaji Dada, for her consistent efforts at reaching out to grassroots women with numerous empowerment various programmes.
Also speaking, a Dietician and Nutritionist with Lagos Island Maternity, Mrs. Olugbade Funmilola, educated the participants on the types of food to eat in order to derive adequate nutrients required for healthy growth.
She said: “All mothers, right from pregnancy, should know that they have a huge role to play to foster healthy growth of the baby. The child should be fed with balanced meals in the right proportions for the first two years of birth. This will certainly help the babies develop retentive brain cell formation and build strong immunities for their children”.
The occasion was marked with the distribution of nutrition packs to all participants, which consisted of local staple foods, to encourage home cooking for their respective families.
