ASHENEWS reports that Traditional leaders in Sokoto state have been urged to promote family planning awareness within their communities.
The Coordinator of Family Planning Service of Gande Primary HealthCare in Silame local government of Sokoto state, Nurse Hauwa’u Mai Nasara made this call while speaking with ASHENEWS.
Mai Nasara who spoke about the acceptance and use of family planning services in the community noted that the number of people accessing family planning practices has increased, and the acceptance can be more if the awareness is increased.
“I believe the figures will by far go up again if traditional leaders could give more voice to it. This is because the traditional leaders command respect here and certainly the remaining hesitancy percentage will be converted.”
The Coordinator further disclosed that the stigma surrounding family planning is fuelled by myths and misconceptions that are culturally related adding that these myths and misconceptions can be arrested through the influence of traditional leaders in the community.
“Though they (traditional leaders) have now accepted it, and of course, they are preaching the same to the rest of the married community members, and many are subscribing to it. However, I can guarantee you that some are still sceptical about it, and it is an influence of misinformation,” she stated.
Nurse Mai Nasara highlighted the need for health workers to actively engage the traditional and religious leaders towards educating the community on the importance of child spacing, refuting the myths and misconceptions surrounding it in the community.
“I think this time I would suggest we work closely together with the traditional and religious leaders putting them in the frontline, organising an open dialogue on matter related to the importance of child spacing.”
The Ubandoma (Traditional Head) of the Gande community, Mr. Namode Usman explained that the promotion of family planning is already part of them.
He said, “We do exhort the married couples and many are adopting it (Family planning practices).
While expressing support for the movement, he appealed to the government, international bodies, and traditional and religious leaders to coordinate massive reach out within and outside the community.
The Sokoto state Coordinator of The Challenge Initiative (TCI), Dr Bello Kilgori, maintained that the initiative will strive hard in its capacity to ensure all support needed is channelled towards meeting the family planning demand in the state.
Similarly, a Family Planning Champion and District Head of Gagi, Sani Jabbi, stated that if fully supported, the current rate of contraceptive hesitancy in some of the communities within Sokoto due to cultural beliefs would be reduced.
He called on traditional leaders to join in the fight to end contraceptive hesitancy.
