The Federation of Muslim Women's Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN) has taken its advocacy on maternal and child health to the palace of the Akran of Badagry as well as the Muslim community.

Addressing journalists at his palace, the Akran of Badagry, Wheno Aholu Menu-Toyi, said: “I assure you that your request will be granted because we are for the people. As far as we are concerned, we will make sure that we speak with the government, members of the House and all the notable people in the community to make sure that what you are advocating is realised.

"Maternal and child health are very important. The women gave birth to these children, I do not see why government should not help them.‎ I urge all traditional rulers in Lagos State to speak with concerned parties to achieve these goal.”

‎The representative of ‎FOMWAN, Project Director, Hajiya Farida Yusuf, Program Officer, Adama Musa Kachalla, said that the Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health,(PACFaH) has key areas of intervention namely; "proper management of childhood killer diseases of pneumonia and diarrhoea, family planning, nutrition and routine immunization.

"The advocacy goal is to support government to increase the 2017 health budget ‎especially the capital expenditure components and ensure adequate and timely release of funds."

An overview of the advocacy, the Project Director said, pneumonia and diarrhoea kill over 400,000 children yearly in Nigeria, adding that the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS 2013) states that nine percent of children under age five die as a result of diarrhoea and 10 percent as a result of pneumonia in Lagos State.

Yusuf also added that for a child to be fully vaccinated, he or she has received a BCG vaccination against tuberculosis, three doses of polio vaccine and one dose of measles vaccine, it should be received during the first year of life.

According to her, "the Intelligent Quotient (IQ) of a child that is not properly fed will be very low. When a child is malnourished, the immune and cognitive function decreases," stressing the need for proper child spacing as the rate of married women who use contraceptives in Lagos decreased from 49.6 to 48.3 percent. ‎

The Chairman Health and Social Welfare Committee of Muslim Community of Lagos State, Dr Naheem-Deen Ade Ekemode, said the way forward is to write a comprehensive paper presenting all the issues and suggesting ways to stem the mortality of mothers and infants of under-five to the Lagos State government.

Earlier, the Lagos State President of FOMWAN, Dr. Ajoke Ashiru, said "the advocacy is for traditional and religious leaders to assist the project in getting across to the government, policy makers because we know that these group of people have great influence."
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