A representative of youths with a Non-Governmental Advocacy Working Group, Family Health Initiative Ogun (FAHIO), and Life Planning Ambassador (LPA), Miss. Dupe Kuku has appealed to the Ogun House of Assembly Committee on Health, to facilitate an inter- generational forum in various constituencies to equip adolescents on knowledge and information required to handle their reproductive health lifestyle.
Kuku who dropped the hint during the group’s advocacy visit to the Committee at the Assembly’s complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, emphasized the need to expose adolescents and young people to current issues that would prevent them from encountering societal burdens such as early marriage, unwanted pregnancy, abortion, rape, contracting HIV and STI infections among others.
READ ALSO: http://Idiroko FRSC inaugurates new building to enhance service delivery
She noted that the period of Adolescence was critical time of life when they are expected to be independent, develop social skills, and learn behaviours, saying that government at all levels should create a conducive environment that would provide quality and accessible sexual and reproductive health information and services, irrespective of demographic status for them to effectively perform the multiple roles in the family, community and the society at large.
‘’The population of Adolescents and young persons in the State which stands at 30.7 percent is an opportunity for the State to achieve great economic and political development if well harnessed and invested in. Am using this avenue to appeal to the legislators as one the arms of government to facilitate the creation of budget line for Adolescent reproductive health, establishment of more youth friendly centres and make commodities and consumables available to public health facilities’’, Kuku emphasized.
In his response, the Chairman House Committee on Health, Hon. Adeyanju Adegoke said the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun was committed to strengthen the health system of the State, noting that the Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative was an all-encompassing avenue to facilitate the required framework for the provision of Family planning services and Adolescent reproductive healthcare programmes.
Adekoge assured a better policy environment for Family planning/Childbirth spacing service delivery and adolescent reproductive health to protect young persons against societal molestations, adding that the Committee would be linked up with relevant agencies of government to improve on adolescent reproductive healthcare, while other honourable members in attendance include, Atinuke Bello, Latifat Ajayi and Wahab Haruna were all supported the move.
