Stakeholders Want More Funding For FP Programmes

Stakeholders at the fifth Annual Family Planning (FP) Consultative meeting have called for more funding on  Family Planning (FP) to control maternal and infant mortality and harness demographic dividend in Nigeria.
The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, led the advocacy in a meeting organised by United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) on Monday in Abuja.
Ogunwusi, who reiterated the commitment of traditional institutions to the programme, appealed to the government to invest more in FP due to its health and economic benefits.
The traditional ruler described the maternal and infant mortality indices in the country as a national disaster.
Stating that,  available statistics showed that Nigeria is losing 110 women during child birth every day.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said FP is beneficial and it is one of the low cost effective strategies for promoting social development.
“That is why as a nation we have decided to embrace it and it is trench for economic growth and recovery plan, Nigeria will adopt strategic plan for managing its population,” he said.
He said the federal, government has made investments into the programme, while the Federal Executive Council had approved three million U.S. dollars for FP.
He added that the federal government would gradually improve the funding so that it gets to the bench mark.
The federal government had also signed Memorandum of Understanding with UNFPA to put teeth to the desire to provide free contraceptive commodities to all Nigerians irrespective of where they live.
“It would also provide an enabling environment, institutionalise the basket fund that we are contributing to, and the fund is being supported by the UNFPA, DFID, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Canadian Government,” he said.
The minister advised women on child bearing age to embrace FP services, adding that “family planning is a necessity”.
He also urged state governments to establish Department of State Planning similar to the Ministry of National Planning and at home families should have units for planning the family.
Ms Dienne Keita, the Country Representative, UNFPA Nigeria, said the meeting provides encouragement for agencies that are taking care of women and children in the country.
She said a stakeholder at the meeting has taken a good decision and positive that would enhance the maternal and neonatal indices in Nigeria.
Keita reiterated the commitment of UNFPA to provide reproductive health commodities to ensure that all pregnancies are wanted and no woman die while giving birth to a child.
The fifth annual FP consultative stakeholders meeting has its theme as “investing in family planning: key to achieving the sustainable development goals”.