Health
Stakeholders urge Sokoto govt to release N150m family planning fund
Agency
Stakeholders have called on the Sokoto State Government to hasten the release of N150 million earmarked as counterpart funding for 2026 family planning services across the state.
The District Head of Gagi in Sokoto South Local Government Area, Sani Umar-Jabbi, made the call during a public rally and commemoration of the 2026 World Contraception Day in Sokoto.
The event, conducted under the European Union-funded Strengthening Access to Reproductive and Adolescent Health Initiative, focused on improving access to essential healthcare services.
This year’s World Contraception Day, themed “Scaling Up Investment for Greater Contraceptive Choice”, featured a street rally, health talks and lecture presentations.
Umar-Jabbi commended the Sokoto Government for releasing N30 million counterpart funding last year, which facilitated increased successes in family planning services.
He explained that the release of N150 million this year would augment the successes, stressing that failure to provide the state counterpart fund might lead to loss of a higher percentage from the United Nations Population Fund.
“Sept. 30 is the deadline to obtain the double ratio funding earmarked by UNFPA, as the fund may be diverted to another nation if the state government is unable to redeem its pledge of N150 million,” Umar-Jabbi said.
He called for greater investment in family planning and reproductive health services, describing responsible child spacing as a critical pathway to reducing maternal and infant mortality, improving household welfare and addressing some of the social conditions that fuel insecurity.
Umar-Jabbi stressed that Nigeria’s population debate should focus less on numbers and more on ensuring that every child has access to education, healthcare, shelter and other necessities.
He said: “Almost everybody knows that the population of this country requires support and management. We do not mind the number, but we are mindful of the quality of life.”
According to him, family planning should empower couples to make informed decisions about the timing and spacing of pregnancies, while women who choose to space births should have unhindered access to modern contraceptive services.
“What we mean is pregnancy by choice, not pregnancy by accident. Women who want to space pregnancy should not suffer in getting access to modern contraception,” he said.
The traditional ruler explained that increased funding, with a proposal of N150 million, would sustain investment in family planning and strengthen efforts to tackle maternal and infant mortality.
He further urged the state government to increase the number of health facilities providing family planning services across the state, as the number of women willing to access the services was on the increase.
The Chairman, Family Planning Advocacy and Finance Tracker Committee, Dr Bala Gadanga, underscored the importance of family planning services in preventing maternal and child deaths.
Gadanga corroborated Umar-Jabbi’s appeal for the release of the N150 million counterpart fund, stressing the importance of the commodities to pregnant women and women of childbearing age.
He maintained that family planning is not merely a reproductive health intervention but an important component of human capital development, household economic stability, and improved quality of life, particularly for women and children.
Earlier, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Faruk Abubakar-Wurno, commended the management of the Sokoto State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, UNFPA, UNICEF, The Challenge Initiative, Marie Stopes International, and other partners for organising the event.
Abubakar-Wurno assured of the state government’s increased commitment to supporting family planning and other healthcare programmes across the state.
The Director of Mobilisation of SSPHDA, Mr Kamaru Gada, said the free distribution of family planning services commenced across the 23 local government areas from Sept. 25 to 30.
Gada urged people to access the services and assured them of plans to expand the services to more remote and hard-to-reach areas in the state.
The UNFPA representative, Mr Benedict Esson, and Dr Bello Kilgori from TCI reassured the readiness of their organisations to increase support for family planning services and urged citizens to shun misconceptions and access the services.
NAN