Unicef blame FG for putting children at risk of under-development

By Ihesiulo Grace

26 September 2017

Health

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has accused the Nigerian government for putting its children at risk of under-development, both physically and mentally, resulting from their failure to provide critical national policies that will help to provide adequate foundation for their growth.

According to UNICEF report titlled “The Early Moments Matter For Every Child” launched yesterday in Abuja during the 2017 National Early Childhood Development conference also said more than half of the Nigerian children under five years risk poor development because they lack early childhood development support.

The report while citing the Medical Journal,’The Lancet’ also lamented that Nigeria ranks among ten countries with the largest number of children at risk of poor development with 31percent of them under weight.

It further noted out of the three outlined policies which include two years of pre-primary education; six months of paid maternity leave; and four weeks of paid paternity leave needed to support parents and give them time to support their children healthy development, Nigeria has just three months of paid maternity leave including one year of free primary education and no paternity leave at all. “Only about one in every 10 pre-primary children are enrolled in early education activities.

“During the first years of a child’s life, the brain grows rapidly, providing good nutrition, loving care and appropriate play provide solid foundations for a child’s learning and eventual contribution to economic and social growth.

The worst, it noted is that the 2016 national survey indicated that 31% of children under the age of five are moderately or severally under weight in Nigeria. Stunting as a result of manultrition can cause irreversible physical and mental retardation. Even though exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life has clearly been shown to improve physical and mental development, the same survey revealed that only 24% of Nigerian children are exclusively breastfed for six months. Paid maternity leave will help to increase the number of children exclusively breastfed”.

UNICEF through the report called on Nigeria governmnet to support all efforts to develop strategic ” what we call early childhood development, which includes physical and cognitive support, has a strategic place in the acheievments of the Sustainable Development Goals. Investing in early childhood development includes services to support caregiver, qaukity pre-primary education and good nutrition will help to secure healthy and productive future generations in Nigeria. With 90 % of a child’s brain development occurring before the age of five, early childhood experiences can have a profound impact on a child’s development can ultimately impact a country’s growth.