The Awareness Initiative for Good Living (AIGL) has called on local government administrators in kwara state to create separate budget line for family planning and ensure prompt release of the budgeted fund for easy access and affordable family planning.
The Chairman of AIGL, Kwara State chapter, Abdulwahab Ajibola made the call on Monday during a separate visits to Ilorin East and Asa local government Secretariats.
Ajibola said AIGL is
an offshoot of the Nigeria Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) that is saddled with the responsibility on advocacy for reproductive health related issues for the attainment of good and healthy family.
The chairman explained that AIGL was established by NURHI in the state with five local government areas as a pilot scheme, adding that additional five local government areas have been added to the existing five making it 10 local government at the moment.
He mentioned Ilorin South, Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Offa and Irepodun as the first set of five local governments captured by AIGL and scaled up with Moro, Asa, Ifelodun, Oyun and Edu local Governments.
Ajibola stressed the importance of proper family planning in nation building, said high rate of crime in the society is a reflection of lack of proper planning especially in the number of children.
He expressed optimism that if family planning is embraced, it will go a long way to avert crime rate, reduce social ills and maternal mortality in the country.
He advised the local government to compliments the effort of AIGL by providing consumables thru release of fund, since commodities are now freely supplied to FP facilities for the benefits of women of reproductive age at the grassroot level.
He urged the leadership of local government to join hands with federal government in her “safe one million lives” campaign.
Owolabi however appealed to the state government under the leadership of Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to as matter of priority continue to have mental positive attitude towards the release of counterpart funding for attainment of functional family planning that will be of great impact to the people and the state in general.
According to him, the release of counterpart funds and creation of enabling environment would stimulate influx of various viable NGOs in to the state which will in turn add more value to human reproductive system in the state.
In their separate responses, the Director of Personnel Mannagement (DPM) of Ilorin East local government, Mr Olokooba and his Asa counterpart, Alhaji Haruna Muhammad thanked members of the AIGL for their initiative and pledged the readiness of their council to comply with the requests of AIGL.
In attendance were the state FP co-ordinator, Hajia Biliqees Oladimeji, Mr Ibrahim and others
End
