In a crucial step towards improving family planningprograms, the 8th Nigeria Family Planning Conference (NFPC) 2024 has urged Nigeria to view familyplanning as a community-wide concern rather than merely a women’s issue.
EXPOSED!! POPULAR ABUJA DOCTOR REVEALED HIDDEN SECRET ON HOW MEN CAN NATURALLY AND PERMANENTLY CURE POOR ERECTION,QUICK EJACULATION, SMALL AND SHAMEFUL MANHOOD WITHOUT SIDE EFFECTS. EVEN IF YOU ARE HYPERTENSIVE OR DIABETIC ..STOP THE USE OF HARD DRUG FOR SEX!! IT KILLS!
The conference posited that empowering womenbenefits the entire familyand community. According to NFPC 2024, empowering women is not a competition, but collaboration for sustainable growth.
It stressed the need for a comprehensive sector-wideapproach for the country to achieve FP2030 Goals.
The conference also urged the Nigerian government to engage government agencies, traditional and religious leaders, and civil society organisations in a united effort to address the challenges of misinformation and societal resistance surrounding family planning utilization.
The call to action comes as part of the broader FP2030 initiative, which aims to improve access to familyplanning services and education across the country. Conference participants highlighted the importance of collaboration in dispelling myths and fostering a supportive environment for familyplanning practices.
By leveraging the influence of community leaders and integrating efforts across different sectors, the NFPC2024 aims to create a more informed and accepting society regarding familyplanning, ultimately contributing to the health and well-being of families in Nigeria.
Dr. Salma Ibrahim Anas, the Special Adviser on Health to President Bola Tinubu, highlighted the vital importance of familyplanning in addressing Nigeria’s maternal health challenges.
Speaking at the Women’s Pre-Conference, Dr. Anas revealed that nearly 30 percent of maternal deaths in the country could be prevented through the adoption of effective familyplanning practices.
The NFPC 2024 stressed the need to adopt familyplanning is an important strategy to curb Nigeria’s high maternal mortality rate and advance economic stability.
Dr. Ojogun Tellson Osifo Jogun, Director General of the National Population Commission (NPC), also raised concerns about Nigeria’s total fertility rate (TFR) of 4.8, which strains national resources and exacerbates maternal mortality. “We must acknowledge the strain this places on our resources and the implications for maternal mortality,” he remarked, highlighting the disparity across states where TFR ranges from 2.9 to 7.5. Dr. Jogun urged for innovative approaches to increase contraceptive use, emphasizing the need for education, employment, and gender equality as part of a comprehensive solution.
Insisting on the need for a collaborative approach, Dr. Jogun emphasised that better population management requires creative solutions, including improved access to familyplanning resources. “If we continue to do the same things, we will get the same results,” he warned, calling for a shift in strategies to ensure sustainable development.
Advertisement
The conference reinforced the link between familyplanning and women’s rights.
It underscored that familyplanning empowers womenby enabling them to make informed decisions about their reproductive health, reducing maternal and child mortality, and contributing to economic growth.
Undoubtedly, familyplanning is integral to Nigeria’s health and population policies and helps reduce early school dropouts among girls, thus promoting education and poverty reduction.
Moronke Atamewalen, keynote speaker at the conference, addressed critical challenges facing Nigeria’s healthcare system, including the shortage of healthcare professionals and poor infrastructure.
Indeed, family planning is the backbone of everything when discussing health issues in Nigeria. Without it, we cannot reduce maternal mortality.
There is therefore the urgent need to integrate family planning into broader healthcare packages and work toward equitable distribution of resources.
The conference reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to expanding access to familyplanning services, noting that progress has been made with commitment levels rising from 18 percent to 28 percent.
It also acknowledged the persistent barriers that hinder access to services and reiterated the commitment to making family planning a key part of the national development agenda.
NFPC 2024 stressed the importance of familyplanning in achieving Nigeria’s health and development goals. It called for collaborative efforts among ministries, agencies, and international partners to increase the contraceptive prevalence rate to 27 percent by 2030.
The solutions developed here will help shape policies and programs that ensure access to family planningservices, empowering women and promoting gender equality,” he said.
Dr. Ummulkhulthum Bojega, National Family PlanningAnalyst at UNFPA, emphasised the transformative impact of investing in family planning, pointing out that for every dollar spent, there is a return of over $69.
Experts at the conference family planning is not only a health imperative but also a sound economic investment, urging stakeholders to engage communities and foster resilience to overcome barriers like poverty and gender inequality.
The time to adopt familyplanning as a cornerstone for population management and economic stability, notjust a health intervention is now.
Nigeria must also adopt family planning as a fundamental human right essential for empowering women, promoting gender equality, and reducing poverty, not just a personal and women issue.
