Nigeria: Ministry urges media to create more awareness on family planning

A mother interacting with her daughter, and using reading and coloring books as part of TOSTAN's Reinforcement of Parental Practices Module, where by applying the knowledge gained during the Reinforcement of Parental Practices Module, parents and community members will give children an excellent start in their social, linguistic, and emotional growth. This healthy development will in turn lead to more children staying in and excelling in school, and improve child parent relationship.

The Federal Ministry of Health has urged the media to create more awareness on family planning to enable Nigeria achieve a better modern contraceptive prevalence rate by 2024. Director, Reproductive Health in the ministry, Dr Kayode Afolabi, made the call in Abuja on Friday during an online media training for health reporters and features writers. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was in collaboration with the ministry and Rotary International.

“This is an opportunity to make the media promote family planning services in the country. The media platform is easily accessible to disseminate key information and create awareness on the use of family planning,’’ Afolabi said.

According to him, the collaboration with relevant stakeholders will ensure the promotion of key message on the product at the grassroots by the media. He said that media, as watchdog of the society, would hold the people in power accountable because they were trusted sources of information. The director urged the media to always clarify any information to determine its authenticity.