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Lagos – The Lagos State Government and UNICEF have launched the first round of the 2026 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week, targeting nearly three million children under five with life-saving nutrition and health interventions.
The partners stressed that sustained funding, uninterrupted implementation and wider coverage remain essential to protecting children from preventable diseases and malnutrition.
Speaking during the official flag-off at the Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Secretariat on Monday, UNICEF Chief of Office, Lagos, Celine Lafoucriere, commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for sustaining government support for the campaign over the years. She said consistent political commitment had enabled millions of children across Lagos to benefit from critical health services.
Lafoucriere described the governor’s sustained backing as instrumental to ensuring that every round of the campaign was implemented without interruption. She noted that continued leadership had strengthened the delivery of essential health services to mothers and children throughout the state.
She said UNICEF had witnessed the impact of sustained government commitment over several years. According to her, consistent investment in children has continued to strengthen health interventions across Lagos.
The UNICEF official said Lagos has about three million children below the age of five. She stressed that the period remains critical because children’s brains, bones and bodies require adequate nutrition and quality healthcare for healthy development.
She said available data shows significant progress has been made but more work remains. According to her, the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week provides an important opportunity to expand access to essential healthcare services.
Lafoucriere disclosed that health workers would be deployed to communities across the state throughout the campaign. She said the teams would provide Vitamin A supplements to strengthen children’s immunity and protect their eyesight.
She added that eligible children would also receive deworming tablets to address nutrient loss caused by intestinal parasites. The intervention, she said, would help improve children’s nutritional status and overall wellbeing.
She further stated that babies would be weighed and screened to detect malnutrition before it becomes severe. Pregnant women, she added, would receive micronutrient supplements to support healthier pregnancies and improve maternal and child health outcomes.
According to her, UNICEF supplied Vitamin A supplements and micronutrient products for the campaign. The organisation also supported community mobilisation efforts to ensure families were aware of the exercise before implementation commenced.
She disclosed that UNICEF teams would monitor activities across communities during the campaign. The verification exercise, she explained, would help ensure that targeted children receive the intended interventions.
Lafoucriere also highlighted Lagos State’s financial commitment to child nutrition. She recalled that the state released ₦156 million through the Child Nutrition Match Fund last year to procure nutrition commodities for children.
She said government investment directly expanded the reach of nutrition services and improved programme implementation. According to her, domestic funding enables more mothers and children to benefit while reducing delays in service delivery.
The UNICEF official urged the state to complete the second round of the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week before the end of November 2026. She said children missed during the current exercise must be reached during the next round.
She also called for sufficient procurement of deworming tablets for children aged between 12 and 59 months. Lafoucriere stressed that the campaign should not be implemented without adequate supplies to achieve full statewide coverage.
She reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to supporting Lagos throughout the current campaign and subsequent rounds. She said the organisation would continue working alongside the state to improve the health and nutrition of mothers and children.
