Lagos Okays Paternity Leave •Maternity Leave Now 6 Months AS a way to encourage good parenting among its workforce, the Lagos State government, on Thursday, for the first time in the country, has granted a 10-working days paternity leave to male employees. It also extended the maternity leave of its female employees by three months, bringing it to a total of six months. However, both the extension of maternity and the 10-day paternity leaves will apply only for the first two births of the couple, after which the female employees revert to the old three months, while the male employee ceases to enjoy such privilege. This, it was said was to enable them give their new born babies the required attention in their first few months in life. The policy, which is in line with the state’s policy of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life, will enable mothers take proper care of their babies and recoup well from the stress of child birth before resuming work. Briefing newsmen at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, on the new policy recently approved by the State Executive Council, the Head of Service, Mrs Josephine Oluseyi Williams, the review of the leave policy was informed by the government’s conviction that the inability of parents to adequately fulfill their parental role due to extensive work life accounted for some social ills in the society. She said chief among the consequences of extensive work life of career officers in the public service was reduced attention by such parents to the basic developmental needs of their infants, especially during the first six months. Williams added that medical science had proven that the first few months of a child’s life played a very great role in the physical, mental and emotional development of the child. The new leave gesture by the state government, she said, was further informed by the fact that nursing mothers leave their children in the hands of daycare nannies at such tender age of six weeks, adding that the level of concentration of such nursing mother at their desks would be nothing to write home about. “However, at six months, a baby is considered strong enough to be left in a decent crèche for proper care, having gone through close affection and nurturing by the mother for those very important and delicate first few months of his/her life,” she said. Urging all nursing parent-employees in the state public service to make do with the privilege to devote fuller attention to their children “thereby promoting emotional bonding between them and their children when it matters most,” she enjoined them to remain dedicated and productive in their various beats and schedules. She appealed to other employers of labour in the state to emulate the gesture of the state government in order to advance a balanced family work life, with the ultimate intent of having future leaders, who as neonates, had enjoyed parental care and affection. Earlier, in his remarks, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Lateef Ibirogba, said the intention of the state government was to build a dedicated workforce which would not only contribute meaningfully to the development of the state, but would also be responsive to their family and domestic responsibilities. Also present at the occasion were the Special Adviser on Public Health, Dr (Mrs) Yewande Adeshina; Permanent Secretary, Public Service Commission, Mr Lekan Akodu; his Ministry of Health and Establishment, Training and Pension counterparts, Dr (Mrs) Omodele Oshunkiyesi and Mrs Shade Jaji, respectively and the Special Adviser to the governor on media, Mr Hakeem Bello. Men in many nations around the world have been enjoying paternity leave for quite a while. Great Britain parents will also from April 2015, be able to share 12 months of leave after the birth of a child. Scandinavia, Norway, Sweden and Iceland men enjoy this leave in different ways. The United states also has a no-paid parental leave; a maximum of 12 weeks unpaid parental leave for mothers and fathers. In African, fathers hardly get paternity leave at all, although Kenya offers two weeks and French-speaking west Africa – Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Cote d’Ivoire allow 10 days. New dads in South Africa get a meagre three days. Australia allows partners to share up to 52 weeks of unpaid leave, Japan offers a year’s unpaid leave to each parent and South Korea allows both parents partially paid parental leave for up to one year. Nigerian Tribune
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 15:09:41 +0000
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