Sanwo-Olu’s Wife Unveils Pet Project To Cater For Indigent Families With Multi-birth

Wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu has unveiled an inspiring pet project called Jumejilo Multi-Birth Assistance Programme (JMAP), to provide assistance for multi-births families and expand access to quality healthcare for low-income families.

The governor ‘s wife who unveiled the project and also made presentations to the first set of beneficiaries of the JMAP Programme, at Lagos House , Ikeja  described the initiative as a dream come true that was conceived in 2021.

The support package that would be ran as a non-governmental organisation is a brainchild of the Lagos First Lady and it was conceived to complement the output of other existing initiatives and support systems in the Lagos State health sector for parents of High Order Multiple (HOM) pregnancies, adding that JMAP Programme will alleviate medical complications, mortalities and disorders associated with multiple births, including premature delivery, preeclampsia and irregular foetal growth, among others.

She said: “The JMAP intervention was initiated in 2021 by my Office against the background of the rising rate of multiple births in the state and the neonatal mortality associated with High Order Multiple (HOM) pregnancies among low-income families.

“Available data indicates that Lagos has an infant mortality rate of 39 per cent per 1,000 live births monthly, with preterm complications significantly accounting for the high mortality.”

Mrs Sanwo-Olu revealed that the support for multiple-birth parents and infants will come in the form of socio-economic support, constant enlightenment, empowerment, social inclusion and a welfare support system.

Dwelling on the modalities for the Jumejilo Multi-Birth Assistance Programme, the wife of the Governor stated that the beneficiaries will also enjoy postnatal care that will run for a 12-month cycle during which the multi-birth households will undergo social empowerment, health education and economic sustainability programmes, in addition to follow-up social and welfare engagements as the babies develop.

In her words: “Potential JMAP beneficiaries must be below 60 years, while their socio-economic status (in respect of annual income) must not be more than N250,000 per household. Prospective beneficiaries must also have Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) Cards as proof of residential status with utility bills of at least 12 months; they must be an expectant or current multiple-birth mother with triplets or more that are between ages 0 and five years.”

She clarified that the JMAP programme has not been set up as a conventional NGO giving monetary assistance to the public, explaining that the financial support to be made available to the beneficiaries will only be provided specifically as sustenance for multi-birth parents in line with the objective of the Programme.

 The Governor’s wife also used the event to invite like-minded, public-spirited individuals and corporate organizations to support her vision of giving hope to families that need help, assuring that initiative will be sustained as a platform to make a positive difference in our society.

In her remark, the Wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Oluremi Hamzat revealed that the life impacting initiative has brought to light the motherly instinct of the First Lady, Dr. Mrs. Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu in ensuring that numerous challenges associated with multiple births are mitigated through this applauding Jumejilo initiative.

One of the excited recipients, Mr. Tunde Ilufoye, a father of triplets said he was overwhelmed with the huge support received from the NGO powered by the First Lady and promised to spread the good news and the government’s intervention in supporting parents with multiple births.

 As part of the launch and award presentation segment of the programme two multiple birth mothers – one with quadruplets and another with triplets went home with a cash of N750,000 and N1 million respectively.