By MATTHEW UKACHUNWA, Lagos
Study has found that exclusive breastfeeding rate has increased from 24 per cent to 34 per cent in Nigeria.
Also, nearly 60 per cent of Nigerian children are now registered at birth with civil authorities.
In addition, child marriage (women married before age 18) has reduced from 44 per cent to 30 per cent since year 2016.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria disclosed the development in a statement titled, “The National Bureau of Statistics in Collaboration with UNICEF Launches the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS)/National Immunization Coverage Survey (NICS) Report.”
Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, declared: “The picture is a mixed one. While there has been some good progress, and we should celebrate that – we still have a long way to go to towards ensuring the well-being of children in Nigeria.”
The MICS result revealed that Nigeria has made progress in some sectors, UNICEF stated in the Press release issued on 16th August 2022.
“Child mortality decreased from 1 in 8 children dying before their fifth birthday (MICS 2016) to one in 10 children (MICS 2021).
“There has also been significant progress in exclusive breastfeeding and birth registration rates – the exclusive breastfeeding rate increased from 24 per cent to 34 per cent, while nearly 60 per of Nigerian children are now registered at birth with civil authorities, compared to 47 per cent in 2016,” UNICEF announced.
“As we build back better from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, the MICS-NICS survey provides evidence to shape interventions and focus resources in a way that helps children and their families reach their full potentials,” Statistician-General of the Federation/CEO, National Bureau of Statistics, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, said.
According to him, “using the data to monitor progress towards our collective commitments to children and families, and inform future actions is critical if we must leave no one behind.”
