The Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) joined forces with the Nigeria Women in Leadership Coalition to intensify calls for a 16-week maternity leave and a two-week paternity leave for workers, aiming to enhance productivity and family welfare. The group, along with caregivers, held a rally at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity in Abuja, urging state governments and the private sector to implement the policy as a vital measure for supporting nursing parents and improving workforce efficiency.
14 States Adopt Policy
During the rally, Tolu Abdul, an NGF official, announced that 14 states have already adopted the policy, including Abia, Bauchi, Cross River, Enugu, Ekiti, Kaduna, Ondo, Oyo, and Plateau. She called on other states to follow suit. Abdul emphasized that the reform aims to enhance family well-being, particularly for mothers as primary caregivers, while promoting shared parenting responsibilities. She noted that improved parental support would lead to better mental health outcomes for women and increased organizational productivity.
Stakeholders' Perspectives
Ekemini Akpakpan, Executive Secretary of Women in Successful Careers (WESCA), stated that the coalition, comprising WINBIZ, NGF, and WESCA, supports the advocacy because enabling women to progress in leadership requires a supportive environment. She stressed that providing full paid parental leave and additional services ensures women recover fully. Akpakpan described their demand as the minimum, urging for paid maternity leave for women and 14 days of paternity leave for fathers to bond with their children.
Medical practitioner Benson Itua commended the rally, highlighting that early resumption of work by mothers often leads to malnutrition in babies due to lack of time for breastfeeding. Volunteer advocate Priscilla Sheshima called for full implementation of 16-week paid maternity leave and two-week paid paternity leave across all sectors, especially the private sector, to improve family well-being and child development. She criticized organizations that pay only a fraction of salaries during maternity leave, stressing that full remuneration is crucial for supporting nursing mothers. Sheshima also underscored the importance of paternity leave, noting that fathers' presence from early childhood significantly impacts emotional and psychological development.
