The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has commended the Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, for her sustained commitment to maternal and child health, as the state flagged off the 2026 first round of the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW) on Monday.
Speaking at the Oshodi/Isolo LGA Secretariat during the official launch, UNICEF Chief of Office for Lagos, Celine Lafoucriere, praised the First Lady’s consistent advocacy and hands-on involvement across multiple campaign rounds.
“Your Excellency, this campaign has your fingerprints on it. Not just today, but across the years you’ve showed up for it,” Lafoucriere said. “Millions of children in Lagos State have been reached because you did not let this work stop.”
With an estimated three million children under five in Lagos, Lafoucriere stressed the urgency of early intervention, noting that the week-long campaign would deliver critical services including Vitamin A supplementation, deworming tablets, malnutrition screening, and micronutrient support for pregnant women.
UNICEF provided Vitamin A and micronutrient supplements for the current round, alongside community awareness support and field verification teams to track coverage.
Lafoucriere also applauded the Lagos State Government for releasing 156 million Naira last year through the Child Nutrition Match Fund, describing it as a game-changer for commodity procurement and service delivery.
She called on authorities to ensure the second round of MNCHW is conducted before the end of November 2026 and to procure sufficient deworming tablets for children aged 12 to 59 months to achieve full state-wide coverage.
“UNICEF will be here. For this round, for the next one, and for the work that happens in between,” she affirmed.
The flag-off is one of the critical beginnings to reduce child mortality and malnutrition across Lagos communities.
