The USAID-funded Breakthrough Action-Nigeria said it has recorded increased men’s support in contraceptives use over the last few years of its Social behaviour change activities in Ebonyi State.
The Ebonyi State Coordinator of the project, Chidimma Ukoha-Nwankwo, stated this when she spoke with newsmen.
She spoke in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, during the commemoration of the 2022 World Contraception Day.
Ukoha-Nwankwo noted that Breakthrough Action-Nigeria has done a lot in support of compliance to proper contraceptive use by providing timely information to women on reproductive health as well as male engagements.
She emphasised that it is the right of every woman to chose how and the number of children to give birth to, adding that the recent economic realities in Nigeria has made contraception and other forms of family planning imperative.
She recalled that before now, men’s behaviour towards contraception in Ebonyi State were very poor, often resulting in spousal conflicts.
Ukoha-Nwankwo explained: “BreakThrough Action strongly believes that healthy families are created by choice, not by chance.
“Over the years, it has been in our project to promote safe contraception, particularly that woman should have the choice when and how many children they want to have.
“Though we are not yet there, but we have made some reasonable progress.
“We have men now understanding more the meaning of child birth spacing, family planning or contraceptives.
“We also have men who go to health facilities to make inquiries and basically we also have men who support their wives take up family planning methods in health facilities.
“The traditional leaders and some religious leaders have been key.
“Engaging with them have also helped us to reach more men and also educate them.”
Briefing journalists earlier, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Daniel Umezurike, noted that the economic growth in Nigeria falls below population growth, thus underscoring the need to advance awareness on contraception and contraceptive use.
The Commissioner observed that child spacing helps women within reproductive age to regain strength and health after the strenuous experience of pregnancy, child birth and breastfeeding, adding that uncontrolled births could lead to population explosion with its attendant social maladies.
Umezurike said: “All these are what were considered by government, partners and families in advocating for the people that are already married, that they should space their births.
“And for people that are not married, they should also plan it so that any time you have babies, it must be wanted.
“That is why in the world calendars, the 26th of every September has been set apart to commemorate and create awareness for contraception.”
Umezurike further noted that apart from child spacing and prevention of unwanted pregnancies, use of contraceptives is a preferable alternative to unsafe abortion.
He said Ebonyi State has an overall low rate of contraceptive use in Nigeria, adding that the high rate of infant and maternal mortality in the State could be drastically reduced with effective compliance to contraception.
According to Umezurike, World Contraception Day was first celebrated on September 26, 2007 by 10 International Family Planning Organisations.
It is followed by the World Safe Abortion Day celebrated every 28th day of September.
This year’s edition was organised by the State Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Office of the wife of the Ebonyi State Governor and other partners.
It was attended by other health partners in the State, including the World Health Organization and AMURT.