TheCable

The Kwara government has extended maternity leave for working mothers in the state, from three to six months.

Olufolake Abdulrazaq, the wife of the Kwara governor, announced the extension during the flag-off of the 2023 World Breastfeeding Week in Ilorin, the state capital.

World Breastfeeding Week is a global campaign aimed at raising awareness about breastfeeding practices and policies for babies and mothers.

Breastfeeding week is observed in the first week of August every year since 1992.

Andulrazaq said working mothers were formerly granted three months of maternity leave, adding that the extension would support the rights of women to freely breastfeed anywhere.

She said there is a need to promote exclusive breastfeeding practices among nursing mothers in the state.

“World Breastfeeding Week has the dual goal of improving the health of babies and promoting, protecting and supporting the rights of women to breastfeed anywhere and at any time.” NAN quoted Abdulrazaq as saying.

The Kwara first lady commended Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, the state governor, for approving the extension of maternity leave for nursing mothers and establishing crèches in the ministries.

She added that the step will encourage working mothers to breastfeed their children at their various workplaces.

She explained that chapter 54 of the  Nigerian labour act allows nursing mothers to take three months’ leave and are entitled to at least 50 percent of their monthly wages during the period.

“In any public or private industrial or commercial undertaking or any branch thereof, or any agricultural undertaking or any branch thereof, a woman shall have the right to leave her work if she produces a medical certificate given by a registered medical practitioner stating that her confinement will probably take place within six weeks,” the law states.

The law allows the nursing mother to stay off work for 12 weeks – six weeks before the birth of her baby and six weeks after.