The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), yesterday, joined stakeholders under the Nigeria Women in Leadership Coalition to heighten the call for 16 weeks of maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave to workers, as part of efforts to improve productivity and family welfare .

The forum, alongside caregivers, staged a rally at the entrance of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity in Abuja to call on state governments and the private sector to adopt the policy, describing it as a critical step toward supporting nursing parents and strengthening workforce efficiency.

Speaking at a rally, an official of the NGF, Tolu Abdul, disclosed that 14 states, including Abia, Bauchi, Cross River, Enugu, Ekiti, Kaduna, Ondo, Oyo and Plateau, have adopted the policy, urging others to come on board.

Abdul added that the reform is being championed to enhance the well-being of families, particularly mothers, who are primary caregivers, while also encouraging shared parenting responsibilities.

She said improved parental support would contribute to better mental health outcomes for women and increased productivity across organisations.

The Executive Secretary of Women in Successful Careers (WESCA), Ekemini Akpakpan, said the coalition, consisting of WINBIZ, NGF, and WESCA, was backing the advocacy because it had realised that if women must progress and advance in leadership, they must be given the enabling environment to thrive.

She stated that one of the ways to support women is to give them parental leave with full pay in addition to other services to ensure that they fully recover
Akpakpan stressed that what they are demanding is the barest minimum, stating: “Let’s give parents paid maternity leave in the first place for the women, and let’s also allow the fathers to be present for 14 days for their children so they can bond.”

A medical practitioner, Benson Itua, while commending the rally, said: “In the hospital, we have seen situations where the mother resumes work early and they don’t have time for their babies, resulting in malnutrition in these babies.”

A volunteer advocate, Mrs Priscilla Sheshima, canvassed full implementation of a 16-week paid maternity leave and two-week paid paternity leave across all sectors, particularly in the private sector, to improve family well-being and child development.

Sheshima also decried situations where some organisations pay only a fraction of salaries during maternity leave, noting that full remuneration is critical to supporting nursing mothers during the period.

She further highlighted the importance of paternity leave, saying the presence of fathers from the early stages of a child’s life plays a crucial role in the offspring’s emotional and psychological development.