Aisha Buhari, Lagos, Osun, Rivers, Ogun first ladies welcome first babies of the year

Wife of the President, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari and Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, yesterday received the first baby of the year at the Gwagwa Health Centre in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

The birth of the first baby of the year, Muhammed weighing 3.9 kilograms and born to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Sani Abdullahi, was announced at 12 midnight. While congratulating the parents, Aisha said women and children were important to the nation and the marking of the first baby in the New Year was to show the importance the government attaches to women and children.

Aisha, who was represented by wife of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Salamatu Gbajabiamila, advised mothers to follow up on post-natal care and take good care of themselves, especially by embracing child spacing and other family care options.

Tallen who was represented by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ifeoma Anagbogu, said parents should take advantage of government’s health aid in the provision of child care and delivery services across the country and always collect their children’s birth certificates.

Besides, wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, tasked Lagos residents to promote healthy living, as she welcomed and presented gifts items to the first babies of the year at Ijede, Agbowa, Ketu-Ejirin general hospitals and the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital.

Baby Agede, male, who weighed 2kg, was delivered at 12.01am by Mrs. Bukola Agede, as the first baby of the year at Ijede General Hospital, while another baby, a female, who weighed 3.1kg, was delivered at 12.07am by Mrs. Beauty Agbor at Agbowa General Hospital.

Also, baby Kazeem, a boy, who weighed 3kg and delivered at 1.40am to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Kazeem is the first baby of the year at Ketu-Ejirin General Hospital, while the first baby of the year at the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital is baby Momoh. The baby boy, who weighed 2.6kg was delivered at 12.09am by Mrs. Mary Momoh.

Sanwo-Olu, who was in the hospitals to celebrate with the mothers, said the birth of children do not happen by chance, but required that mothers take steps to ensure that they live a healthy life, while pregnant and get skilled care during labour and delivery.

While noting that the birth of children brings good fortune to a society, Sanwo-Olu said the birth of children was significant and symbolises the assurance that human heritage and the life force continued to the next generation.

In Osun State, the joy of Mrs. Kafayat Adewale, who was delivered of a baby boy at 1:00am knew no bound, as she received gifts from the governor’s wife, Mrs. Kafayat Oyetola.She visited the baby at the maternity ward of the state Hospital, Asubiaro in Osogbo, early in the morning of January 1, 2020, prayed for and presented gifts to the baby.

The first lady also presented gifts to other newborn babies in the maternity wards, as she rejoiced with the mothers and their family members.She was accompanied by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu, Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr. Olasiji Olamiju, other senior officials of the Ministry of Health and top government functionaries.

She congratulated the parents of the baby and urged them to take good care of him so that he would grow and achieve his full potentials in life.Appealing to all parents to ensure good upbringing of their children, Mrs. Oyetola charged the parents on the need to give them good education, just as she admonished them to take good care of them so that they could be useful to their families, the state, and entire country.She also charged the nursing mothers to breastfeed their children exclusively for at least six months so as to grow up healthy and sensitise parents on the implications of genital mutilation, describing the act as an indirect way of killing girls.

Mrs. Oyetola also appealed to residents of the state to desist from open defecation, saying such attitude was not good for the healthy living of the people of the state.She said: “The parents of the babies should take adequate care of their children and wards. They should give them good education so that they can become a great pillar in the state, in the nation and in the world.

Relatedly, wife of the Rivers State Governor, Suzzette Nyesom-Wike yesterday received three babies at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) in Port Harcourt. The first baby, Ijeoma Sandra was born to the family of Sergeant and Mrs. Destiny Ijeoma at 1.04am. She weighed 3.1kg, while the second and third babies were born at the same Hospital in Port Harcourt. All three are girls.

The governor’s wife expressed delight at their arrival, describing it as mark of new beginning for the year, adding that most mothers in the state would enjoy safe delivery.Justice Nyesom-Wike gave cash and other gifts to the babies and their parents and prayed for God’s protection and blessing for the babies and their families.

She said: “Rivers State is going to be greater. This will be the least place that we will find ourselves. We will have more things to celebrate in Rivers State. I encourage the parents to hold fast unto God, knowing that God will give them the grace to carry out their responsibilities.

“My message to Rivers people is that we should be expectant. This year 2020 is a wonderful year. This kind of combination comes only once in a century. It is going to be a remarkable year. “I want to urge everyone in Rivers, especially the youth, to be law abiding and continue to believe and trust in God,” she said and assured the mothers that Governor Wike was committed to the welfare of Rivers people.

Justice Nyesom-Wike also visited the labour room of the Hospital, where she prayed God to grant the expectant mothers safe delivery. Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Friday Aaron, said the first baby of the year represents a new beginning, adding that the hospital was happy because the babies were delivered with complications and the mothers also had no complications.

Meanwhile, wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun has advised nursing mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies towards ensuring a healthy mental and physical growth.She gave the advice while welcoming the first babies of the year at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) in Sagamu.
She said breast milk contained required nutrients needed by babies for total growth and development that would help prevent illnesses and mortality among them, affirming government’s readiness to improve on mother and child health in the state.

Mrs. Abiodun donated cash and other gift items to the baby girl, Osungbure born at 12.01am weighing 3.3kg and baby boy Akindele born at 12.10am weighing 2.5kg, while congratulating their mothers, Oluwakemi Osungbure and Folashade Akindele for safe delivery and prayed for the babies who, she noted, came at the beginning of a new decade.

She extended her gesture to other babies in the maternity ward of the hospital, noting that babies were special gifts from God and should be cherished and blessed.Mrs. Abiodun, who was represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, settled the hospital bills of mothers of some other babies, who were unable to pay for them to be discharged, assuring that the present administration would not relent in enhancing the health status of the people.