Wife of the president, Aisha Buhari, says the work Nigerian mothers do in caring for their children and families contributes to efforts to stem insecurity in the country.
Buhari, represented by Gimbiya Dogara, wife of the House of Representatives speaker, said, “If we mothers play our roles well, insecurity will no longer exist in Nigeria.”
“We the women have left our roles, we no longer play our roles well.”
She said parents playing roles of good fathers and mothers were crucial in raising a healthy generation of child well developed, protected and exposed to positive influences that aid national growth, while being turned away from the negatives that push young people in violence.
Her comments came in Abuja, as she visited Asokoro Districti Hospital to receive Destiny Agu, the first 2016 baby to be born in the FCT, accompanied by health minister Isaac Adewole.
Destiny, the third child of her parents Peter and Amaka Agu, was born at 12:12am on New Year’s Day—12 minutes into 2016.
In the tradition of first ladies visiting hospitals to receive first babies of the year, Destiny Agu was showered with gifts, including baby toys, supplies and products.
Peter said he and his wife had been expecting their baby in hope and pain after his wife was hit by a motorcycle last week.
“We passed through weeping all through the night, but behold this 31st [December] we are into joy,” he said he told his wife.
“After we prayed, yesterday morning, we came here and God confirmed His word. She is a destined child, a covenant child, if there’s any name more than that I will give it to her.”
A separate set of twins were born hours before midnight on December 31.
A fourth baby was born early Friday morning after his mother underwent a surgery.
Hospital officials said the 4.5kg baby could have been the first 2016 child if bureaucracy had not delayed his mother’s surgery.
Meanwhile, as part of activities marking the beginning of a new year, Wife of Ondo state Governor, Mrs Olukemi Mimiko, today, paid a visit to the Post-Natal ward of the State Specialist Hospital Akure to celebrate and donate gift items to the first baby of the year, Baby Adewon, and the mother, Omoboyede Adewon.
She also donated gift items to the first baby born on Christmas Day, oluwadare and many others.
Mrs Mimiko who was accompanied by wife of the Deputy Governor, Alh. Fatima Oluboyo and the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Dayo Adeyanju, among other top government functionaries, thanked the Lord on behalf of her family and Ondo state people to have witnessed a wonderful 2015 and be alive to start the new year strong.
“We received over ten babies, all of them looking very healthy and fresh. It can only be the grace of God and we pray that they shall all be great. Ondo state in their time will indeed be great, peaceful and will move in leaps and bounds” she said.
She blessed God for Ondo state’s achievement on Maternal and Child Health and further revealed her satisfaction in the 75% reduction in maternal mortality ratio in the state which she described as God’s doing.
She also decried a situation where children are abandoned for whatever reason and urged mothers to stop the ungodly act.
According to her “Every child is born different and he has the right to life and fulfil his God’s given potentials. No one woman, under any condition, should abandon the baby she carried for 9 months”
Mrs Mimiko enjoined all the good people of Ondo state to show love and understanding and join hands together in 2016 to further pray for the wellbeing of the state in the New year.
