As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to commemorate the 2013 World Breastfeeding Week, expert has described breastfeeding as the best investment in human development and key to saving over 220, 000 lives annually.
.
Briefing journalists in Lagos on the Week with theme: "Breastfeeding Support: Close to Mothers", Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yetunde Adeshina regretted that despite the importance of breastfeeding in infant nutrition, the 2011 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) indicated that the Exclusive Breastfeeding Rate in Nigeria is still as low as 15 per cent with the South West Geographical Zone Rate put at 27 percent.
.
Adeshina who further stressed the need to double up efforts at increasing the number of mothers, who breast exclusively, pledged the State governments support to all mothers in the state to breastfeed their babies without any form of intimidation or harassment for the optimal survival and development of the young infants.