Tag: Aisha Buhari

By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

First Lady of Nigeria, Dr. Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari has urged Women in Nasarawa state to maintain high standards of sanitation and hygiene in order to enjoy sound health for themselves and benefit their families.
She was speaking at health-advocacy related activities organized by Future Assured in Nasarawa state.
Mrs. Buhari, represented at the event by Zainab Kassim, Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Affairs and Event Management, emphasized the importance of maintaining high standards of hygiene by women particularly during the COVID-19 era, reminding Nigerians that the pandemic is still with us.
She noted earlier in the year, the First Lady distributed food-related palliatives across the country to cushion the effect of the pandemic and is now distributing hygiene related palliatives to assist women who are unable to purchase such important items. She noted that providing support to women in rural communities is in line with the objectives of Aisha Buhari Foundation and Future Assured.
Hygiene and Mother Care kits distributed to women and their babies include cosmetics, toiletries, detergents and oral wash.
First Lady of Nasarawa state, who was also represented by wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Sheila Akabe, called on women to stay healthy and ensure the health of their families. She noted that many women require assistance in the area of health, not only by creation of awareness but also physical support.
She commended the Aisha Buhari Foundation (ABF) and Future Assured for the gift of the items, which she says are beyond the reach of many rural women.
Places visited include Comprehensive Model Primary Healthcare Center, Kwandere, Nasarawa state, Primary Healthcare Center, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Primary Healthcare Center, Doma road, Lafia and Primary Healthcare Center, Doma Town, Nasarawa state.
The event was attended by the Executive Chairman, Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Usman Addis, who said the initiative is a major move towards achieving maternal and child health.
The team paid a courtesy visit to the Andoma of Doma, Alhaji Ahmadu Aliyu Oga Onawo.

By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

The first lady, Dr Mrs Aisha Buhari has called on Nigerian women to prioritize their health for the sake of the development of the children. Buhari made this call uring an advocacy event yesterday in Illorin, Kwara State.
Mrs Buhari who was represented by the Director of Information in the Office of the First Lady, Suleiman Haruna emphazied the need for mothers to practice breastfeeding, nutrition, and hygiene in order to raise healthy children. She further called on women to practice regular personal hygiene checks to avoid killer diseases like diabetes, high and low blood pressure and cancer.
She disclosed that through her pet programme Aisha Buhari Foundation, ABF, and the Future Assured Foundation she is focusing on health, Education, empowerment and protection of women from abuse. The ABF she said has achieved a lot in these four areas through Partnerships with various stakeholders, especially first ladies are the state level but has singled out the first lady of Kwara State for her extra ordinary effort in these areas.
The Kwara State first lady, Dr Mrs. Olufolake fAbdulrazak in who attended the meeting virtually commended the Kwara women for their responsiveness especially on health matters. She called on them to attend the forthcoming State immunization exercise and to register with the recently introduced State Health Insurance scheme.
She commended Mrs Buhari for her forefront campaign on health of mothers and children which is complementing the efforts of governments and the provision of efficient Healthcare delivery. Highlights of the event we are distribution of maternity items including baby care products to hundreds of mothers and their babies. The event was attended Commissioners of Health, women Affairs Dr Mrs Raji Rasaki Mrs Debora Aremu , Dr Nusiat Alrlu and the Executive Director of Ajike People’ Support Center, Mr Abdulgsnlu Opeloyeru.

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*Urges governments to prioritize nutrition

Despite efforts put in by the federal government to prioritise nutrition, Nigeria has the second highest number of stunted children in the world, First lady, federal republic of Nigeria, Mrs Aisha Buhari has said.

Speaking during her remarks at the virtual national nutrition summit, Mrs Buhari lamented that these stunted children may never be able to have an optimally productive adult life.

The virtual conference was convened by the wife of the President through her pet project, Aisha Buhari Foundation, in collaboration with the International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH).

She lamented that the current global pandemic and shrinking fiscal space has further worsened the situation by moving all attention and resources towards the containment of COVID -19 virus.

While calling on governments at all level to ensure that nutrition is prioritise, the first lady added that until that is done, Nigeria will unconsciously exclude the vulnerable children in the process, thereby leaving them vulnerable to COVID 19 infection and other diseases.

She said, ‘’by now we are certain that the Government and people of Nigeria are not oblivious of the nutrition situation in the country. We have the Federal and state councils on nutrition chaired by key government officials who ensure that decisions on nutrition related issues are not delayed.

‘’The National Council for Food and Nutrition chaired by His Excellency the Vice President of the Federal republic of Nigeria, is one of such platforms that demonstrates the Government’s commitment to prioritise nutrition. We have Policies at federal and state levels addressing various aspects of Nutrition as well.

‘’However, it is sad that despite these efforts, Nigeria still records millions of children suffering from one form of malnutrition or the other, some even die from the most severe form of malnutrition. Nigeria has the second highest number of children in the world who are too short for their age, and these stunted children may never be able to have an optimally productive adult life.

‘’To ignore this, is to mortgage our future, because tomorrow, we would not have competent young adults to run government, businesses or even the academia.

‘’Looking beyond the figures you will see actual children who are practically unsure of their next breath. Yet we all live in the community with them, as parents, neighbours, community leaders, business owners, Civil society groups and government.

‘’Although we do not physically isolate these children, we isolate them emotionally each time we have a chance to take any decision in favour of them and fail to do so.

‘’The current global pandemic and shrinking fiscal space has further worsened the situation by moving all attention and resources towards the containment of COVID -19 virus.

‘’We may have unconsciously excluded these vulnerable children in this process, thereby leaving the already vulnerable children affected by severe acute malnutrition in extra jeopardy without a fighting chance against the COVID 19 infection. We should realize that their lives are equally as important’’.

Also, Nutrition experts while lending their voices appealed to the federal government to immediately return the N800 million budgetary allocation for Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) it removed from the 2020 budget.

They said that malnutrition in Nigeria is basically caused by the federal government’s lack of specific budget for nutrition and strategic plan of action.

They lamented that the removal of the fund has led to zero allocation for nutrition and would hamper the war against malnutrition, saying the country has over the years depended largely on donors for nutrition funding.

One of the nutrition experts, Beatrice Eluaka, the Executive Secretary of Civil Society Scaling-up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), said Nigeria has the second highest number of stunted children in the world with two million children battling with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).

She explained that only two out of every 10 children currently suffering from SAM are reached for treatment and with the Covid-19 pandemic, cases of malnutrition have risen in the country.

“We call on government to return the N800 million RUTF allocation removed from the 2020 budget of the federation as Nigeria runs the risk of increased burden of malnutrition if government allows the emergency situation of Covid-19 to stop them from funding and implementing nutrition programmes and interventions in the country.”

Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, has commiserated with Kulu Abba Kyari, over the death of her husband, the late Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.

Aisha prayed that “Allah” would grant the family the much-needed strength they need to bear the loss of their “husband and father”.

She stated this on Saturday via Twitter shortly after the departed CoS was buried at the Gudu Cemetery in Abuja.

She tweeted, “From God Almighty, we came and to Him we shall return. I condole with Mrs. Kulu Abba Kyari and the entire family of Late Malam Abba Kyari over the death of their husband and father.

“I pray that Allah (SWT) will forgive his shortcomings, grant him Al-Jannatul Firdausi and give the family the fortitude and patience to bear the loss, Ameen. While wishing all those infected a speedy recovery and I pray for an end to COVID-19 Pandemic.”

Her Tweet

(From God Almighty we came and to him we shall return)

I condole with Mrs. Kulu Abba Kyari and the entire family of Late Malam Abba Kyari over the death of their husband and father. pic.twitter.com/qwCVMdyS8Y

— Aisha M. Buhari (@aishambuhari) April 18, 2020