FCTA distributes mother-baby kits, cooking gas cylinders to women

Lara Adejoro

The Federal Capital Territory Administration on Wednesday distributed free mother-baby kits and Liquefied Petroleum Gas cylinders to women in the territory to reduce maternal and neonatal risks and improve household health.

This distribution took place during the launch of the FCT Mother-Baby Kit Project, tagged “Renewing Hope: One Baby at a Time”, and the Abuja Breathe Fresh Air Project, tagged “Renewing Hope: One Home at a Time,” in Abuja.

Every year, Nigeria continues to face unacceptably high rates of maternal and infant mortality. While the country has made some progress, many women still lose their lives during childbirth, and many newborns do not live to see their first birthday.

One major reason for these preventable deaths is the lack of access to clean, safe, and essential supplies during delivery.

The Renewed Hope Mother-Baby kit initiative is designed to bridge that gap. Each kit contains basic but critical items needed to ensure a hygienic and safe delivery, both for the mother and the child.

The PUNCH reports that each kit includes a maternity gown, baby suit, sanitary pads, a solar lantern, baby shawl, sponge, towel, plate and spoon, as well as baby diapers.

According to the World Health Organization, around 2.1 billion people globally still cook using polluting fuels like firewood, charcoal, waste, or coal, which causes household air pollution linked to roughly 3.2 million deaths a year, including many children under five.

Transitioning to cleaner cooking fuels like LPG can drastically reduce this risk, saving millions of lives and improving public health. In support of this goal, the Abuja Breathe Fresh Air Project is advancing Nigeria’s clean energy transition by helping families, particularly women, move away from smoky, harmful fuels such as firewood and kerosene, and embrace healthier, safer, and more sustainable cooking with LPG.

Speaking at the launch of the initiatives, the Minister of State for FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, said the free kits will support safe labour, delivery, and neonatal care for women and babies across the FCT.

She stated, “No woman should face childbirth without the tools and support she needs, and no child should begin life without adequate care.

“These kits reflect our deep commitment to maternal and child health and to ensuring that every mother and baby are given the best start possible.

“The Abuja Breathe Fresh Air Project—a bold, forward-looking initiative to reduce indoor air pollution in vulnerable households. By replacing polluting fuels such as firewood, charcoal, and kerosene with smart, efficient Liquefied Petroleum Gas cookers, we are addressing one of the silent but deadly health risks in our homes: respiratory disease caused by smoke inhalation.

“This programme will also reduce harmful household emissions, cut deforestation, and advance Nigeria’s clean energy transition. Beyond protecting health, it contributes directly to our nation’s climate commitments and strengthens our reputation as a leader in sustainable urban living.”

The Minister said the initiatives form part of a broader transformation under the Renewed Hope Agenda, which in the last two years has delivered major health gains in the FCT—from new oxygen plants and a Vesico-Vaginal Fistula Centre to free medical missions, surpassing national screening targets, and expanding health insurance coverage for the vulnerable.

She added that workforce training, better conditions of service, and infrastructure upgrades, including renovated hospitals and a Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, have further strengthened efficiency and resilience in the sector.

“The Mother–Baby Kits and the Abuja Breathe Fresh Air Projects build on this momentum. Together, they represent a holistic vision of health: protecting mothers and newborns during childbirth while safeguarding families from the dangers of household air pollution.

“They symbolise our resolve to invest in both immediate healthcare needs and long-term environmental sustainability.

“As we celebrate Nigeria’s independence, let us recommit ourselves to building an FCT where every home is healthier, every birth is safer, and every breath is cleaner. With your support—our partners, health workers, and communities—we are confident these initiatives will serve as flagship models of innovation, equity, and public–private collaboration,” she added.

The Mandate Secretary of the FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Adedolapo Fasawe, emphasised that providing these kits free of charge, particularly to vulnerable and underserved women in rural and peri-urban communities, helps remove a major barrier to safe motherhood.

Fasawe stated, “This initiative is in line with the broader goals of the Federal Government’s health sector reforms, particularly under the Universal Health Coverage framework. It also aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal Three: ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.’ Today, we are all gathered to renew hope in accordance with this goal, ‘One baby at a time.’

“The FCT Administration, under the visionary leadership of the Hon. Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, is committed to investing in strategic health interventions that have a direct impact on the lives of our people.

“Today’s launch is just one step in a larger strategy to strengthen maternal and child healthcare services across all six area councils of the FCT.”

She expressed gratitude to development partners, NGOs, health workers, and community leaders for their support, while commending frontline providers as the true heroes bringing compassion and dedication to the initiative.

She reassured mothers that their health and safety matter, urging pregnant women to use antenatal services and safe delivery facilities, and called for collective action to strengthen primary healthcare and protect maternal and child health.

The Permanent Secretary of FCT HSES, Baba-Gana Adam, highlighted the day’s event as a three-in-one people-oriented intervention—distribution of baby kits, free cooking gas, and enrollment of pregnant women into the health insurance scheme in the territory.

“Over 250 baby kits containing newborn essentials and 500 cooking gas cylinders have been distributed here today, and this is just the beginning.

“No mother and no family will be left behind as we move around the six Area Councils under the Project Breathe Clean Air Abuja campaign and the One Baby at a Time initiative,” he stated.

A beneficiary, Sadiya Aliyu, said, “I never believed that I could receive something like this without having to pay.

“The Mandate Secretary even said delivery is free for pregnant women on FHIS. The baby kit will help me give birth safely and hygienically, and the gas cylinder means I won’t have to use charcoal anymore.

“With this gas cylinder, I can cook faster and cleaner. This support from FCTA has really lifted a burden off my shoulders.”