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  On Wednesday, September 29, 2021, the federal executive council meeting presided over by Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo, approved a 14-day paternity leave for civil servants in the country.
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This information was made public by Folasade Yemi-Esan, Nigeria’s head of civil service, during a briefing with correspondents from the statehouse. Esan went further to explain that the leave will afford Nigerian fathers in public service the opportunity of bonding with their newborn babies or adopted kids properly.
‘We’ve gotten approval to include paternity leave. This is something that is new. And this is something that the unions in the service asked that we include, and luckily, we’ve been able to include it.’ Folasade Yemi-Esan
Esan also disclosed that the paternity leave will be calculated based on working days not calendar days.
‘We’ve also been able to ensure that leave now is calculated based on working days, not on calendar days; that also has been approved. Paternity leave is the leave that is approved for men when their spouses or wives have given birth to a newborn baby. Or if the husband and wife have just adopted a baby of less than four months, then the man is entitled to paternity leave of about 14 days. So, that is what has been approved for men, so that the men and their babies also can bond well. It’s important because we want the young children and the youth to bond properly with their fathers, just as they bond well with their mothers.’ Esan
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Commenting further, the head of the service revealed that:
‘This is the first time that this has been approved — for men to form bonds at the early stages, especially at the early stages of a child’s life; that is when it’s very important for this bonding to take place.’
The approval for paternity leave comes few months (March 2021) after the government approved paternity leave for men working with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). Prior to this development in March, there was no room for paternity leave while women enjoyed three months of maternity leave. It will be recalled that in 2018, the house of representatives rejected a bill pushing for paternity leave. Sources: The Cable NG Odum Blog Featured Image Source: Food Safety News
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This article was first published on 30th September 2021

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I am a Lion, I love to hit heights that seem impossible so I can motivate others and prove doubters wrong. For me, impossible is nothing. I'm open to learning and I love to read, travel and meet new faces.

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