Revealed: How Nigerian barber spends millions in breast feeding in Bauchi

By: Ajiya Ayuba, Bauchi

A Nigerian barber, Sunday Tafida Gambo of Bogoro local government area of Bauchi State has narrated how he spent millions of naira in boosting wife’s breast milk,despites the huge economic challenges facing Nigerians under the administration of President Bila Ahmed Tinubu.

Gambo, who gave reasons for spending such an amount in boosting wife’s breast milk, was because of the importance attached to exclusive breast feeding of children in Nigeria.

He emphasized the need of exclusive breastfeeding to the health of babies and the Nursing mothers, adding that in this critical economic condition, he is spending over a million Naira in six months to ensure that his wife got her breastmilk boosted to enable her practice exclusive breastfeeding for six months.

The barber who spoke with The Nations News Nigeria correspondent said, some years back things were less expensive compared to nowadays, adding that, for a woman to get her breastmilk boosted, one must spend a million naira.

A father of three children, Tafida said before his wife gives birth, he always ensures that she attains all the needed antenatal care by supporting her in every way possible.

“I ensure that energy giving food is made available for my wife to look healthy. “I use to spend everything I get from my business everyday just to see my family looking good and healthy”, the Barber revealed.

“You know the way things are now, we are not talking about saving money, things are expensive, I prefer spending a lot on good food than spending on drugs, because having nutrient dense food is a drug itself “, Sunday said.

He said, before closing from work, he make sure that he buy fruits, bread, meat, fish or beans for his wife.

“Any time I don’t have enough money to get those food items, we buy soya beans, groundnut, and millet to make tom-brown for my wife to use in order to produce good milk for the child.

“You can go to my house and see the difference, my wife and the child are both looking healthy because of what they are eating, I hardly take them to hospital unless for immunization”, the Barber further revealed.

“If my wife gives birth, I close the shop for a while to do some domestic work such as boiling water, cooking food for her, among others.

“If I have the opportunity of going to shop that day, I go very late and closed early just because to go and continue from where I stopped”, Sunday said

The United Nations children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nutrition Specialist, Mrs. Philomena Irene said that exclusive breastfeeding is the first immunization which is safe, affordable and environmentally friendly, noted that it protects the child’s antibodies, tasked the media as change agents to continue to use their writing skills to change the perception of the people towards the practice of exclusive breastfeeding to improve the wellbeing of the children.

She said this during a media dialogue at the Alheri hotel in Yola, Adamawa State, with the theme: “Closing the gap, breastfeeding for all”, maintained that there is the need to bridge the gap in Bauchi Field office to ensure a healthy society.

According to her, to further encourage the practice of exclusive breastfeeding, men should be the main target of the media for the advocacy because they are the determinants of what should be done in their homes.

Philomena Irenesaid that engaging the fathers who are the decision makers in their various homes, will no doubt make a positive impact in an effort towards making the women embrace exclusive breastfeeding.

While Layawos Godiya Bongah, a shoe Maker, said that exclusive breastfeeding is making his children perform excellently in school.

He said that “As a head of the family, you must provide enough food for your family to eat and look good” Adding that the quality of breastmilk from the mother depending on the good food she eat before giving birth”

He further said that “If you can not spend money on exclusive breastfeeding, you will definitely spend it on drugs in the hospital.

“The children of my wife and the children are always looking good because of the good food that I am giving them such as vegetables, fruit, meat or fish and other nutrients.

“Proper exclusive breastfeeding made me spend consecutive one year without taking my family to hospital for drugs, except immunization. breastfeeding to the health of babies and the Nursing mothers, a barber, Sunday Tafida Gambo of Bogoro local government area of Bauchi State disclosed over the weekend that at this critical economic condition, he is spending over a million Naira in six months to ensure that his wife got her breast milk boosted to enable her practice exclusive breastfeeding for six months.