As the World commemorates this year’s World Egg Day, the Poultry Association of Nigeria Ogun State Chapter (PANOG), has emphasized the need for every Nigerian child to eat at least one egg per day for optimal health, due to its high level of nutritional values.

Speaking with AgroNigeria on the theme of this year’s celebration “Benefits of an egg a day for the Nigerian child”, the State Chairman PANOG, Dr. Olalekan Odunsi said eggs contain a perfect combination of protein, 12 vitamins and 12 minerals, adding that aside from breast milk, eggs have the highest protein biological value.

Odunsi noted that eggs also contain amongst others Zeaxanthin and Choline which are essential for healthy eyes and helps in building the membranes of the cell, respectively.

He said “eggs improve a child’s concentration level and attention span, while increasing their ability to learn, assimilate and expands their memory. It is also important for the development of the brain because it contains Choline.”

The State Chairman while relating the recent data released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) said about 1.7 million Nigerian children under the ages of five, are severely and acutely malnourished, accounting for 10 percent of the global total of malnourished children.

To this end, Odunsi stated that the essence of advocating an egg per day is because eggs have the required nutrient that will help cure Kwashiorkor and other related diseases as well as boost the immune system.
He therefore called on the government and all regular government agencies such as the ministry of agriculture, women and children to launch a campaign that will sensitize the general public on the need to consume at least one egg per day.

Odunsi also urged the Federal Government to include eggs in its promised feeding programme for primary school children as well as support poultry farmers to meet the rising demand of producing enough poultry products for its citizens.

He noted that this sector will play a vital role in boosting the Nigerian Economy in the non-oil sector, while recommending that the government should look intently into the sector in its drive to cause change in the economy.

Also speaking, the host chairman PANOG Ota Zone, Adebayo Adewumi stated that eggs do not contain saturated fat but contains dietary cholesterol that does not harm the body.

Adewumi said the process of preparing the egg can have a bad effect on its productivity, he therefore advised that there is a need to employ caution as to the type of oil and other conjunction used in the preparation.

In her remark, the Chairperson PANOG Remo Zone, Mrs Blessing Alawode said egg is one of the cheapest sources of protein in the country. In this regards, she said an average Nigerian child has no business being malnourished.

She therefore urged parents and children to “grab an egg and keep malnourishment away.”
This year’s World Egg Day Celebration organised by the Poultry Association of Nigeria, Ogun State Chapter, held at the Obasanjo Farms Ota, Ogun State witnessed in attendance the Immediate Past Chairperson, PANOG Ota Zone, Mrs. Elizabeth Oladipupo, Chairperson, Mowe Zone, Tope Oseni, the Marketing Manager Obasanjo Farms, O.A. Akintade, Animal Care Branch Operation Manager, Ogunleke Daniel, school children as well as poultry farmers.