As part of activities to celebrate Baby of Year, the
FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, has donated delivery kits and baby items to a mother of twins in Ayaura Comprehensive Health Centre in Abaji Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
The minister who made the donation also gave a token of undisclosed amount of cash and other assorted items to other nursing mothers in the hospital. 
A statement by the special Adviser on Media to the minister, Austine Elemue to have quoted the minister minister to have described the successful delivery recorded in various primary healthcare centres as something to be happy about, just as she prayed that joy would continue to radiate in the Federal Capital Territory in 2024 and beyond.
The Minister wjo spoke while the presenting the items to the beneficiaries, tasked mothers on exclusive breast feeding and early training of their children, noting that children are gift from God.
While calling on mothers to accept all vaccines given during government approved immunization campaigns, the minister used the occasion to remind them of the need to ensure that their babies complete the routine immunization before the age of two.
“Remember to take care of yourselves and attend post natal clinics and continue to take your routine medicines. Also engage in exclusive breast feeding. On my part, I will continue to identify with you and sharing in your joy.
“Since I came to office in 2023, I have continued to implement and support initiatives that would improve the health of mothers and children particularly towards reducing maternal and child deaths from preventable causes.
“I will also encourage you to always contribute to the growth of the family in particular and community at large. All babies born today are welcome and I pray to God to continue to grant mothers and babies good health, while the fathers continue to have the means to support their families,” Mahmoud stated.
Earlier, the Ona of Abaji and Chairman FCT Traditional Council of Chiefs, HRM, Adamu Baba Yunusa, appreciated the minister and her team for the visit, just as he commended the efforts of this administration in ensuring peace in the various area councils.
While commending the initiative of the First Baby of the Year, the monarch, however, called for institutionalization of scholarship scheme for the first baby of the year.
According to him, “the annual programme of the Baby of the Year is commendable, however, the celebration and recognition should go beyond that. There is need for educational foundation that will assist in granting educational scholarship to every first child of year in the Federal Capital Territory”.
He, however, pledged his support for the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
One of the benefitting parents, Mr. and Mrs. Haruna Musa, who delivered a set of twins at 12:04am today, in Ayaura Comprehensive Health Centre thanked the minister for the kind gesture, adding that the items and cash donation would assist mothers at this early stage of delivery.
The highpoint of the event was the visit to the palace of the Ona of Abaji by the minister and her team.
