Expdonaloaded News; Ambode tasks mothers on nutrition

Mothers in Ni­geria have been coun­selled to give good nutrition to their growing children so as to ensure sound intel­lectual and physical growth.The wife of Lagos State governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, who gave the advice yesterday in La­gos while declaring open the 10th Nutritional Semi­nar of Frieslandcampina Wamco Nigeria, at Ore­gun, Ikeja, said some mothers are either not sure of what nutrition to give to their children or completely unaware of this significant period of a child’s life.

She said that the first five years of a child’s life was the most critical that sets the stage for the child’s intellectual devel­opment, lifelong health, as well as vulnerability.
According to her, “Cer­tainly, the brain develop­ment and mental health of a child is essential and it should never be neglect­ed. Science reveals that there is no other period of a child’s life when nu­trition has such profound impact as compared to the first five years of a child’s life. This is a critical peri­od that sets the stage for a child’s intellectual devel­opment, lifelong health, a period of enormous potentials as well as vul­nerability,” Mrs. Ambode said.
Ambode said the theme of the seminar; “Physical Growth and Brain Devel­opment of the Nigerian Child: The Challenge of Our Time”, was apt, just as she urged healthcare practitioners to deploy the knowledge acquired from the seminar in their daily practice, she commended the company for its nutri­tional brands which have become household names in Nigeria.
In his welcome ad­dress, Rahul Colaco, the managing director, FrieslandCampina Wam­co Nigeria Plc, reiterated the company’s commit­ment to quality diary nu­trition, part of which in­cludes providing adequate up to date researched in­formation on child nu­trition, thereby helping to reduce the incidences of malnutrition amongst women and children in Nigeria.