The Kwara state government has been called upon to extend maternity leave from the current three months to six months to enable nursing mothers opportunity give their babies six months exclusive breast.

The call was made by the Chairperson of the Civil society scale - up nutrition in Nigeria, pofessor Ngozi Nman while presenting 2014 -2019 strategic plan of action for Nutrition to the state Commissioner of Health, Alhaji Atolagbe Alege at the state ministry of Health, Ilorin.

The chairperson who was represented by the monitoring and evaluation officer Jayne Arinzed said the meeting centered on adoption and implementation of the national strategic plan of action for nutrition (NSPAN) with focus on maternal nutrition and infant and young child feed (IYCF)- critical for sustainable development in kwara state; and had in attendance various civil society organizations across the She said the CS -SUNNY is a non governmental organization made of organizations with a shared vision to transform Nigeria into a county where every citizen food and nutrition secured.

"We pursue this loft goal by engaging government and non state actors to raise awareness, sustain commitment and actions to effectively tackle under - nutrition in Nigeria. "She said In his lecture on the occasion, the Chairman, National Association of Public Health Physician, Professor Tanimola Makanjuola disclosed that 37 per cent of children grow stunted because of malnutrition.

Professor Makanjuola who spoke through a Senior Lecturer at the College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Dr Sunday Aderibigbe revealed that Nigeria has the highest stunted children in Africa and ranked as second highest in the world.

Makanjuola disclosed that nutrition has powerful influence on growth, development and reproductive life of every individual and described optimal nutrition at each stage of life cycle as a fundamental human.

In his comment, the local working group coordinator of the society in kwara state, Dr Mubashir Uthman called on federal government to implement National Strategic Plan of Action for Nutrition (NSPAN 2014-2019) at every level, with emphasis on maternal and child.

Dr Uthman also advised government to come up with budgetary allocation and timely release of funds for maternal nutrition and infant and young child feeding practices at the state and local government level.