By Vera Anyagafu

Women in Dairy Production Association (WIDPA) have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to redouble his administration’s effort with the Renewed Hope Agenda to provide balanced diets for children across Nigerian schools.

Chairman, Board of Directors, WIDPA, Olusola Olakojo, made the appeal at the official launch of DIARY4KIDS Project and activities held recently in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, themed, “Milk and Dairy Products: An Integral Part in Child’s Health and Development,” Olakojo said that, “From Lagos, the Centre of Excellence to Kano, the Centre of Commerce, to the Confluence Town of Kogi and to Kebbi, the Land of Equity, the feeding of our children in various schools, churches, mosques, orphanage and motherless babies’ homes and IDP camps is a task that must be done.”

He said that  WIDPA is dedicated to bridging the gap in milk availability, supporting families and empowering communities, stressing that,  a state or a nation that cannot provide for her children and nurture them has no future.

“WIDPA, therefore, envisions a community, a state and a nation where every child can grow strong, healthy and confident with a brighter future ahead.

The journey requires collective efforts, compassion and dedication and I am inviting all to join in the noble course, Olakojo stated, adding that, “Together, let us make a difference in the lives of our children. Let the pastors, imams, obis in Igbo land join us.  Let the obas across Yoruba land join us. Let all our emirs in the North join us. Our doors are open to welcome our distinguished Senators in the Red Chambers in Abuja.

As a nation, investment in infrastructure is necessary but the only investment that can guarantee us a greater and brighter future is the one we put into the lives of our children.”

In her welcome address, President and Founder, DAIRY4KIDS PROJECT, Rachael Eyitayo Ariori, said that the theme of the programme was apt as a Children’s Day’s event, considering the fact that children are the worst hit by malnutrition in the country.

She advised the government to help WIDPA with the provision of funds to produce more milk and give it to off-taker companies. 

She went on, “With this, hunger can be reduced because if a child is filled with milk, the hunger will be reduced.

Because of the importance of children, DIARY4KIDS decided to support Nigerian children who deserve more. It is their right to have access to good nutrition, good milk and good bones’ development.

This is reason we are launching this today to make the government know that we mean business and that Nigerian children mean so much to us”, she stated.

In addition,  Racheal Ariori said that, “If children bones are strong, we won’t have many of them with bone defects in the hospitals. It is a synergy and it has a multiplier effect”, while listing some challenges facing Nigerian children to include malnutrition. “Some of the children in hospitals, schools, IDP camps, motherless babies’ homes do not have access to good water and good medical care. I advise the government to begin national feeding agenda using dairy milk. If you do it two or three times a week, it will reduce their sicknesses and attacks because their immune system will be built up as they are getting what their system needs”, she advised.

Also worried by the poor feeding habit among Nigerian children leading to malnutrition, Founder and National Coordinator for Agro-Women Synergy International and President of Women in Renewable Entergy Association of Nigeria, Dr. Anita Nana Okuribido, said Nigerians must make it a priority to give their children milk and dairy products so that they can grow and become smart children, as well as excel in their academics.

While urging the Federal Government to revise and review the policy framework to make it friendly with children’s nutrition, Okuribido said, “When we make the policy framework, it should include the priority dairy products to the nutrition of our children in homes, hospitals, IDP camps, schools, orphanage homes.

We must make it a priority to give our children dairy products to make them excel in their education. We want the children as our future generation to be well-fed with good nutrition so that they can lead us aright.”

Similarly, the keynote speaker, and Technical Director WIDPA/DAIRY4KIDS Dr. Ifelayo Peter Ojo, who commended WIDPA’s initiative to provide good nutrition to Nigerian children by making milk and dairy products available for them said, it is a laudable project.

“I am grateful to be a part of making this nutrition available to our children in certain parts of the country, and giving them access to good nutrition by making milk available in schools, IDP camps, motherless babies’ homes and hospitals,” Ifelayo added.