The Paediatricians Foundation has petitioned the President, Major General Muhamadu Buhari (retd.), urging him to increase the period of maternity leave to six months from the current three months.
According to the group, only four states of the federation have implemented the six-month maternity leave policy in their civil services.
The foundation stated, “Mothers need sufficient time to heal after the stress of childbirth, to care for and breastfeed their babies for six months exclusively. We, as a nation, must invest in the health of our mothers and the children who are our future. They guarantee the continuity of our nations.
“Currently, only four states, Lagos, Ekiti, Kaduna and Oyo, out of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory have the six months maternity leave policy.
“We are asking for this policy to be implemented in all states of the federation and at the federal level. Therefore, we are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari and all the state governors in Nigeria to give working mothers six months of maternity leave to breastfeed without work worries. We are specifically asking for this policy to be implemented for Federal Government workers.”
As of the time of filing this report, the petition had garnered over 40,000 signatures on change.org.
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