Wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, on Sunday presented cash and gifts to the first three babies of 2023 in Akure.

She also presented cash and 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 and cash to the parents of the babies at the Mother and Child Hospital, Akure, and Arakale Comprehensive Health Centre, Akure, said 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 first child of the year and I am very delighted to see babies delivered in the two centres are healthy.

While appreciating the doctors and nurses at the two hospitals due to the safe deliveries of the mothers, she called on the parents to imbibe the culture of family planning in their child-bearing period to enable them to train the children well.

“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 for them to grow well and develop well so that they can compete favourably.

“If a child is malnourished, that child will not do well in school and it’s at this very beginning, how they were born, how they were nourished that will determine the child.

“We are not saying we want to lock their womb, but there is the need for our people to reduce the number of children that they give birth to because that’s what the present situation demands.

“And we can not run away from the fact that it’s really a lot of money to bring up a child in this present century.

“So, Nigerians will continue to have baby which is a good thing but all we are saying let us have the number we can afford to train or take care of.

“Please, do a family planning and not over do it so that you will have enough to train these children and give them a healthy live style,” she said.

Earlier, Dr Banjo Ajaka, State Commissioner for Health, 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 5:30am with a weight of 3.5 kg.

“The other three babies, one was born on Christmas day and two others born during the last hour of the year 2022,” he said.

Similarly, Dr Omoseyi Adeyemi-Osowe, Director, Primary Health Centre, Arakale in Akure South Local Government Area, who presented six babies to Anyanwu-Akeredolu, said the first child was born at 1:30 a.m, the second at 1:55 a.m, while they weighed 3.5kg and 3.4kg respectively.

Also, Mrs Ayomide Bankole, who gave birth at 1:30 a.m., and Mrs Olatuji Mariam, who gave birth at 5:30 a.m., both on Sunday, appreciated the wife of the governor for the gesture, saying it would go a long way to take care of their babies.

“We are very happy and grateful for what the wife of the governor has done for us. May Almighty God continue to bless her for us,” the duo said.