UNFPA earmarks 75 million dollars for Nigeria on HWN SPOTLIGHT

The Executive Director of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, has said that the agency has earmarked $75 million to boost reproductive health services and data generation in Nigeria.

Dr Osotimehin who stated this while fielding questions from newsmen in Abuja said that the amount covers the value of the seventh UNFPA Country Programme between 2014 and 2017 in Nigeria.

The agency’s director said that the figure budgeted would be sourced from the core funding of $29.2 million, while the non-core source would contribute $45.8 million.

He said UNFPA has been in Nigeria since its inception in 1969, participating in numerous activities in the country.

We have always been working with the Nigerian formations, either regions or states; we also work with Civil Society Organisations.

What we do in essence is to work with government to ensure that women and girls’ lives are cherished so that they go to school and stay in school.

So that women, when they are ready can have their children safely and also space their birth, to ensure they don’t die giving birth.

And they can have the number of children they can afford to have without any issue or coercion; these are the things we do,” he said.

The executive director said UNFPA will also collaborate with government to conduct a census saying the data generated would assist government in its projections and planning.

He said at present, the UNFPA is discussing with the National Population Commission on the 2016 national headcount.

Osotimehin said the greatest cause of maternal mortality in Nigeria is childhood pregnancy, which constitutes between 30 and 40 per cent of the burden. He encouraged women to plan their families.

We encourage women to take family planning; it enables them to take control of their lives.

When you talk to women and ask them, they will tell you I have six children, but if I had the choice I would rather have three or four.

The problem always is that they don’t have the opportunity to make such choices, the choices can be made if they have access to the commodities,” said the UNFPA boss.

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