Rotimi Idris
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has commended the Lagos State Government for its sustained commitment to improving child and maternal health, while calling for continued investment to ensure that every eligible child benefits from life-saving nutrition and healthcare interventions.
UNICEF’s Chief of Office in Lagos, Celine Lafoucriere, made the remarks during the official flag-off of the first round of the 2026 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW) held at the Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Secretariat in Lagos.
Addressing participants at the event, Lafoucriere praised the Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, for her consistent advocacy and leadership in supporting maternal and child health campaigns across the state.
According to her, the First Lady’s unwavering commitment over the years has contributed significantly to ensuring that millions of children in Lagos continue to receive essential healthcare services.
Lafoucriere noted that Lagos is home to approximately three million children under the age of five, stressing that the period represents a critical stage in their physical and cognitive development.
She explained that despite the state’s progress, significant work remains to ensure that every child receives the nutrition and healthcare necessary for healthy growth.
Describing the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week as a vital intervention, she said health workers would be deployed across communities in the state to provide a range of preventive and nutritional services.
According to her, children will receive Vitamin A supplementation to improve immunity and protect their eyesight, while eligible children will also be administered deworming tablets to combat intestinal parasites that contribute to poor nutrition.
She added that healthcare workers would screen and weigh infants to identify cases of malnutrition at an early stage before they become severe, while pregnant women would receive micronutrient supplements aimed at improving maternal health and supporting healthy pregnancies.
Her words, “Lagos has about three million children under the age of five. Three million children whose brains are forming, whose bones are growing, whose bodies need the right food and the right care right now – not next year. And the data tells us there is still more to do and this campaign is how we change that.
“This week, health workers will go into communities across Lagos and reach children with Vitamin A to protect their sight and strengthen their immunity against disease. They will give deworming tablets to children who are losing nutrients to parasites every single day without anyone knowing.
“They will weigh and screen babies to catch malnutrition early, before it becomes irreversible. And they will reach pregnant women with micronutrient supplements that protect both mother and child through pregnancy.
“For this round, UNICEF provided Vitamin A and micronutrient supplements. We have also helped ensure communities are aware of the campaign, and our teams will be in the field this week to verify that children are being reached.
“But then what we bring only goes so far on its own. Last year, Lagos State released 156 million Naira through the Child Nutrition Match Fund. That money bought commodities that went directly to children. When a government spends its own money on this work, it changes what is possible. It means we can do more, reach more children and mothers, and waste less time.
“Two things need to happen after today. The second round of MNCHW must be done before the end of November 2026. Every child we do not reach this week needs that second chance. And the deworming tablets for children between 12 and 59 months must be procured in sufficient quantities to cover the state. We cannot run this campaign at half strength”.
