Sultan, CAN okay initiative
COGNISANT of its relevance, the second Family Planning conference in Nigeria has advocated improved family planning system as a panacea to population control, security and national development.
The three-day conference, concluded at the weekend in Abuja, made a case for collaborative effort of all stakeholders for enhanced reproductive health, rights to family planning commodities, girl-child education and improved quality of lives for the citizenry.
Meanwhile, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakaar III and President Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, have pledged support for family planning initiative by the government.
The religious leaders who spoke at the conference with the theme: "Population and national development," said the initiative needed the support of religious and traditional groups for the well being of Nigerian population and development.
A statement issued at the end of the conference noted that while Nigeria was facing rapid population increase of about 350 million by 2040, it was evident that the country was not providing appropriate access to family planning commodities.
Chairman, Family Planning Action Group (FPAG), Prof Oladapo Ladipo said there were over 20 per cent unmet needs in family planning commodity demand in a country where contraceptive user rate was still about 10 per cent.
He said it was amazing that the unmet need for contraception among married women was that high, adding that these group of people required concerted efforts of stakeholders in the area of additional funding and commodity services at the grassroots.
Ladipo, who was also the conference Local Organising Committee chairman observed that a pilot study done in Gombe State had demonstrated that "if we change our approach by using the community-based distribution approach, using the Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) that are available, we would get more commodities to the people that need them especially in hard to reach places."
Shettima Kone of the MacArthur Foundation added that the best contraceptive that could be given to the girl-child is education.
According to him: "Once they are educated, they will have the capacity, knowledge and competency to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted and every child birth safe."
He observed that for the first time, the West African Court of Justice had made secondary education the basic right of all Nigerians.
"The court said that if these children are able to go to school, they will have better life, better choices and their children will have better choices than they are experiencing."
Sultan, Abubakaar III observed that family planning had a special recognition in Islam right from the time of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
"It is true that the 'azl' – meaning coitus interruptus was widely practiced by the companions of the Prophet and with the permission of prophet (SAW)," he said.
He, however, added that adopting family planning methods for the sake of preventing poverty alone was the clear contradiction to the Islamic viewpoint. While it is unfortunate to see many children in this country roaming the streets helplessly and hopelessly, he said Islam did not advocate the bearing of children to the streets, becoming victims of negative circumstances in the name of seeking for religious knowledge or other social reasons.
Abubakaar, whose message was read by Sarkin Yakin Gagi, Alhaji Sani Umar Jabbi, stated: "It is the responsibility of every parent to ensure the sound upbringing of his or her children. For a woman who is medically and professionally advised to adopt family planning due to a recognized need, Islam has no counter argument to that.
"Let us promote and sustain the reproductive maternal and child health services to improve the well being of our mothers and children. Let us continue to support family planning services for a healthy nation," he said.
Representative of CAN President, Rev. John Kennedy Opara added that if religious and traditional leaders were well informed, they would lead the people on the path of national well being and development.
