Health Advocates Demand Six Month Paid Maternity Leave to Combat Rising Child Malnutrition in Abuja

Advocates urge FCT leaders to adopt 6-month paid maternity leave to tackle stunting and boost child health. Learn how nutrition impacts Abuja's economic future.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 25, 2026, 9:31 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from LEADERSHIP

A Critical Mandate for Maternal Labor Protection

The push for a mandatory six month paid maternity leave period has reached a pivotal stage as health advocates confront the Federal Capital Territory Administration with urgent policy demands. During a high level stakeholder engagement in Abuja, the Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria emphasized that current workplace constraints prevent mothers from adhering to exclusive breastfeeding recommendations. According to Sunday Okoarankwa, the executive secretary of the organization, extending paid leave is not merely a social welfare preference but a foundational requirement for improving child survival rates and enhancing early cognitive development across the territory.

The Economic Toll of Nutritional Neglect

The failure to prioritize nutrition is increasingly framed as a financial liability that could derail the long term growth of the Nigerian capital. Statistical models presented during the media dialogue suggest that malnourished children may experience a twenty percent reduction in earning potential as adults, contributing to a national GDP loss that could reach eleven percent. Mr. Okoarankwa argued that the FCT cannot afford these far reaching consequences, noting that the double burden of malnutrition now includes rising cases of obesity and hypertension alongside traditional undernutrition, creating a complex crisis for the local health system.

Alarming Health Indicators in the Nation Capital

Despite its status as a central administrative hub, the Federal Capital Territory continues to report troubling health statistics that lag behind national development goals. Data from the most recent Demographic and Health Survey reveals that twenty two percent of children in the region are underweight, while seven percent suffer from wasting. Perhaps most concerning to policymakers is the fact that only twenty nine percent of infants are exclusively breastfed for the first half year of life, a gap that advocates link directly to the lack of supportive maternity policies and insufficient public health funding.