The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that despite high initiation rates, only one in three Nigerian babies are breastfed within the critical first hour of life, while three in ten receive exclusive breastfeeding for the recommended six months.

While describing the gap as a silent emergency undermining child survival and development across the country, UNICEF stated that it is capable of exposing millions of infants to preventable illnesses and cognitive deficits.

Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of the UNICEF Field Office in Lagos for the entire Southwest Nigeria, disclosed this as the global community commemorates World Breastfeeding Week 2026.

While speaking on the state of breastfeeding practices in the region, Lafoucriere emphasized that while most Nigerian mothers do breastfeed, the quality and timing of the practice fall far short of global standards.

She said, “Breastmilk is the first vaccine every baby receives. It protects against sickness. It builds a stronger brain. It gives a child the best possible start in life. And it costs nothing. Across Nigeria, most mothers do breastfeed.

“But too few do it the right way. Only one in three babies are put to the breast within the first hour of birth. Only three in ten babies are exclusively breastfed for six full months, no water, no formula, no solid food, just breastmilk alone.

“In southwest Nigeria, with our hospitals, our markets, and our busy working mothers, we can change that number.

“But a mother cannot do this alone. She needs a workplace that gives her time and space to breastfeed. She needs a health worker who tells her the truth about formula marketing. She needs her own mother, her husband, her mother-in-law, her pastor, and her imam standing behind her, not questioning her.

“So today, my message is simple. To every employer, give your staff the break and the privacy breastfeeding needs. To every health worker, put that baby to the breast within the first hour, every time. To every family member, support her; don’t second-guess her.

“And to every mother in Lagos feeding her child right now, alone in the quiet hours of the night, we see you. You are giving your child their first and best gift. UNICEF, her partners, and your government stand with you.”