The Chairman, Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP), Dr Ejike Orji has commended the Federal Government for releasing four Million Dollars counterpart fund (which is about N1.6 million) for the purchase of Family Planning (FP) commodities in the Nigeria.
He, however, noted that, the amount was inadequate, compared with the N26 Million projected amount required for the country’s family planning commodity purchase annually.
Orji , therefore called on State governments to key into the Federal Government’s Family Planning concept and develop cost implementation plan for their states.
The Chairman also commended the Federal Government’s readiness to project family planning by establishing a demographic dividend office, headed by the Vice President, saying “that shows commitment to the purpose.
He added that, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the 42 regular course of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, near Jos, to focus on the issue of population growth challenges and human capital development.
His words; “The Federal Government had developed a National Population Policy in 2014, and is currently being reviewed.
“The government also developed the Family Planning Blueprint, all geared toward increased uptake of FP and making it a norm so that families can have the number of children they can take care of”, he stated.
Orji, also stressed the importance of family planning toward increased Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and national development, emphasised the relationship between family planning and poverty, saying “the absence of one can cause the other.”
He also stressed the need for Nigeria to take over the whole funding of the country’s family planning needs, adding that population had become a strategic security issue globally.
“I will like to see Nigeria take over family planning funding because population has become a strategic security issue globally now,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Orji hinted that the AAFP and partners is scheduled for 6th Nigeria Family Planning Conference 2020 for Dec. 7 to Dec. 11 in Abuja, where it hoped to bring together youths, religious and traditional leaders, policy makers and other stakeholders to brainstorm on changing the landscape of FP in Nigeria.
The theme of the conference is “Post 2020 Agenda and Safeguarding Investment in Emergencies, Adaption, Innovation, Resilience” to be held both physically/virtually.
Topics to be discussed include demography, myths around family planning, increase in advocacy and innovation, with focus on not allowing COVID-19 to stop family planning gains, among others
