By Maria Famakinwa
Wife of the Ondo State Governor, Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu has presented cash and gifts to the first three babies of 2023 in Akure.
Chief Mrs Anyanwu-Akeredolu also presented cash and other gifts to seven other babies who were delivered on Christmas day, and in the last hours of 2022.
The wife of the governor, who presented the gifts to the parents of the babies at the Mother and Child Hospital, and Arakale Comprehensive Health Centre, Akure, said that the gesture was to support the parents of the babies for their upkeep.
According to her, “it has become an annual ritual for us in the state to celebrate the first child of the year and I am very delighted to see that babies delivered in the two centres are healthy.”
Mrs Anyanwu-Akeredolu, who appreciated the doctors and nurses at the two hospitals for the safe deliveries of the mothers, called on parents to imbibe the culture of family planning in their child-bearing period to enable them train the children well.
Her words: “For a child born in this century to function properly, you must give him or her good education, you must provide for them, give them balanced diet to grow well and develop well so that they can compete favourably with their peers.
“If a child is malnourished, that child will not do well in school and it all depends on how they were born and nourished.
“We are not saying we want to lock their wombs, but there is the need for our people to reduce the number of children that they give birth to because that is what the present situation demands.
“It is a good thing for Nigerians to have babies but all we are saying is let us have the number we can afford to train or take care of.
“Please, do family planning so that you will have enough to train these children and give them a healthy lifestyle,” she said.
Earlier, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, who presented four babies to the wife of the governor at the Mother and Child Hospital, Akure, said that the first child was born at 5:30 a.m. with a weight of 3.5 kg.
