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Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Monday, September 9, 2024

Protecting family farming in Guinea: A successful advocacy journey - NaijaAgroNet

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Guinea recently adopted the country’s first agricultural policy law, which now needs to be implemented. This follows four years of consultation and advocacy, during which Guinean civil society has actively engaged with the government in the drafting of that law. Aïssata Yattara and Macky Bah reflect on how the law’s inclusion of grassroots’ and national stakeholders’ key concerns represents a decisive step towards protecting and promoting family farms, and tackling land grabbing in the country.
Protecting family farming in Guinea: A successful advocacy journey - NaijaAgroNetProtecting family farming in Guinea: A successful advocacy journey - NaijaAgroNet
The Guinean government tends to favour large-scale intensive agriculture. This means opening up the agricultural sector to foreign capital, often to the detriment of family farming, which supports nearly 70% of the population and supplies two-thirds of local markets to meet food needs.

Friday, July 27, 2018

Lagosians: Adopting family planning for family gain - NaijaAgroNet

This year’s World Population Day held across the world, but in Lagos State, it’s a gained momentum for mothers who are adopting family planning for the sake of family gains, writes REMMY NWEKE.
Preamble:
A typical Lagosian is a hustler who wakes up very early like 4am every morning in readiness in pursuit of a family well-being; be it man or woman. As such, social commentators have observed that for such people, the possible recreation is sex among couples, hence, they posited that this paved the way for giving birth by most women on yearly average.

The spate of family planning campaigns across the state touted to have over 20 million population can never be over-emphasised, this is because the socio-economic infrastructure of the state will be over-stretched if families are not properly guided, catered for, even as the nation strives to scale through the inflation and economic depression.

With regards to Family Planning, Lagos State projected to achieve notable percentage by year 2030, bearing in mind that almost on daily basis, people and families come into Lagos to reside. Today, Nigeria has over 190 million citizens, with Lagos State saying it has a population estimate of 17.5 million, although this number has been disputed by the National Population Commission of Nigeria, which put the population at over 21 million as at 2016.

So, this year’s World Population Day (WPD) was held on Wednesday, July 11, 2018 with the anniversary theme on “Family Planning is a Human Right”.

This is Lagos:
Nigeria lays commitment towards scaling-up uptake of family planning (FP) services in the country and following up on the national commitment at the 2012 London Summit on Family Planning, the Lagos State Ministry of Health (LSMOH) domesticated the Nigeria Family Planning Blueprint ‘scale-up plan’ to address the peculiarities of the state.

The Nigeria Family Planning Blueprint which essentially contains a 5 year work plan (2014-2018) intends to guide family planning programming and high level commitment through adequate resource allocation is aimed at increasing the national contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) from the current 15 per cent (NDHS 2014) to 36per cent by year 2018. Lagos State has been identified as an important source for achieving the national target being the most populous and with proactive governance.

Lagos State says its current Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) of 38per cent is committed towards achieving the CPR target of 74per cent target by end of 2018. Though the target seems a little ambitious in view of the obvious challenges facing the state, the state is poised towards the use of phased result-oriented strategies including the effective engagement of stakeholders at the community level.

What is family planning?
Largely, family planning is defined as the practice of controlling the number of children one has and the intervals between their births, particularly by means of contraception or voluntary sterilization, according to the online encyclopedia.

On the other hand, the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner defined human rights, asrights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.

NaijaAgroNet  reports that the World Health Organisation, says that at the time of this report that some 6,428,000 women are using a modern method of contraception and as a result of that contraceptive use, estimated 1,490,000 unintended pregnancies will be prevented, 476,000  unsafe abortions will be averted and about 9,000 maternal deaths will be averted.

FP methods in Nigeria:
The family planning methods available to Nigerians especially spouses include some 5 main types, namely the barrier methods, hormonal methods, Intra Uterine Devices (IUDs) and natural methods.
For instance, the use of barrier methods includes procedures of birth control: spermicide, condom, sponge, diaphragm, and cervical cap. While hormonal consists of use of contraception for birth control methods that prevent eggs from being released from the ovaries, thicken cervical mucus to prevent sperm from entering the uterus, and thin the lining of the uterus to prevent implantation.
Equally, IUDs involve use of a tiny device insertable into uterus to prevent pregnancy. It's long-term, reversible, and one of the most effective birth control methods out there. Just as there are natural methods including withdrawal techniques.

Mothers: Family planning make us healthier
Obviously based on their human rights, it was a commendation galore for the Lagos State government on its efforts for an improved family planning service delivery and adoption among residents, with mothers unequivocally declaring they are now recording and witnessing more healthy living to the extent they can be called sweet-16, courtesy of upholding their ‘woman rights’ as somewhat said in local parlance.

For those Lagosian mothers who spoke to NaijaAgroNet at a recent field trip to some Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) in Lagos organized by Pathfinders International, they now see the family planning matters as their own human rights, hence they were encouraged to go all out with additional support of their spouses towards making life better and healthier.

Narrating her story, a teacher, Mrs. Oluwaseyi Oluwapadia, who adopted family planning since December 2012, confided in NaijaAgroNet that she has evidently seen the benefit on herself and her children. “My last baby was born about September 11 and will be 7 by this year September,” she declared. She also, acknowledged support and consent of her husband, pointing out that work permission is the only hindrance to keeping up to date with medical visits as at when due, highlighting one key benefit to her as being that family planning helped her to keep fit and look like ‘sweet sixteen.’

At 32, Mrs. Karim Bilikis, told NaijaAgroNet  that family planning is very good and has enabled her to have peace in the home front, asserting that “It allows you to have peace at home, and take care of children up to university level.” Women or mothers precisely have some work and she would like to have time to improve on her education, noted that she is on two months family planning, which she had started using it after her first child.

Bilikis said there is no there is no side-effects unless one misses medical appointment, adding that family planning for her is an chance to have happy family, help your husband. Mrs. Karim revealed that she has plan to have just three children, stressing that she see family planning as a human right. Maintaining that “Women have very important work to do including the exclusive breastfeeding and catering for all the children.”

FP as Human rights for mothers:
Further, Lagosian mothers disclosed that the choice of preferred family options were chosen by themselves without any coercion, with some of those who spoke to NaijaAgroNet  including Mrs. Mojusola Oluwasegun, a staff nurse, Mrs. Akerele Deborah, and Mrs. Florence Famakinwa, alluded to the fact participants willingly chose their plans of choice after careful counselling and affirmation that it’s a human rights to them.

For instance, Mrs. Mojusola Oluwasegun, 30, says she likes family planning, so also her husband, just as she insisted on choosing it herself, obviously in fulfillment of her human rights after making a choice of implant. Noting that the first time she used FP, she was allegedly told her system will change, but today she has found out the truth.

A staff Nurse, who refused name to be mentioned, at the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC), Mascara in Alapere, Ikosi, Agoyi-Ketu, Lagos, affirmed that they encourage married women to choose a plan after due counselling. Mothers, she said choose a plan themselves, adding that however, when there are complaints mainly on menses flowing too much and some weight loss, or adding of weight. Describing most of the complaints, especially on the weight as “psychological issues”, while those who have excess bleeding issues are placed on medication.

At PHC Ogudu, a teacher, Mrs. Akerele Deborah, told NaijaAgroNet she started family planning in 2004 following a visit to a PHC after fourth child. She had informed her husband, and earlier did one family planning for 10 years and the last one was five years, declaring “There was no complaint from my spouse. It’s a great benefit and I really thank the matron that introduced me to family planning.”

Akerele pointed out that the first family planning ever, was condom, which somehow failed her, saying that despite using condom, to she got pregnant, but “Luckily both of us were at home, otherwise it should have been a problem of infidelity.” Emphasizing that family planning has helped her family in spacing out, stressing that fiscal ability matters. Although spacing out children between 2 to 3 years may not be easy, but she advised women to adopt family planning because of themselves.

Equally, Mrs. Florence Famakinwa, 34, told NaijaAgroNet that she started family planning since 2012, but when she wanted to have a second baby, “I stopped and after second child. I decided to start IUD and my husband supported me very well.” She noted that no side effect since she started this one, no issues, adding that the benefit of child spacing is very important and cannot be over-emphasized.

Sum-up:

NaijaAgroNet recollects that Nigeria will definitely scale-up adoption of family planning methods across the state, the way Lagos is going about it, more Nigerians are likely to key into the family planning and at the end, have unlimited benefit of better lives and economic wherewithal to cater for themselves and their agreed and accommodated number of children without losing much sleep.

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Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Promote healthy diets says expert - NaijaAgroNet

Agronomists and Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, Mr. Graziano da Silva, has appealed to Portuguese-speaking countries under the auspices of Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP)reports NaijaAgroNet.

Da Silva also urged them to address the rising rates of obesity, which he described as “alarming” in develop and developing countries alike.

In 2017, he explained, almost two billion adults were overweight in the world, of whom around 700 million are obese.

"Excessive consumption of processed foods rich in salt and sugars is the main factor behind the increase in obesity,” he said. “Countries must face this situation by encouraging healthy diets through public policies that allow consumers to know the benefits and harms of what they are eating," he said.


Tackling the problem requires redoubling efforts in nutrition education, especially for mothers and children, and improving the information available to consumers through the regulation of food labeling and advertising, he added

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Tuesday, July 24, 2018

'Support family farming, rural women with public policies' - NaijaAgroNet

The Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, Mr. Graziano da Silva, has highlighted the crucial importance of supporting family farming through public policies and intersectoral programmes, reports NaijaAgroNet.

He additionally noted the need to empower rural women across developing countries, especially in the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) in order to achieve sustainable development.

FAO’s Director-General also warned that the strategy of increasing food production at any price has not been enough to eradicate hunger nor to avoid the global epidemic of obesity and overweight, and that it has had an enormous environmental cost due to the intensive use of chemicals and natural resources.

"Soil, forests, water, air quality and biodiversity continue to deteriorate. We must promote a transformative change in the way we produce and consume food. We have to put forward sustainable food systems that offer healthy and nutritious food, and also preserve the environment,” he said.


He also encouraged the adaptation of agricultural and food systems to the impact of climate change, especially s floods and droughts will become more frequent, as is already the case in Cape Verde.

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Saturday, July 21, 2018

Family planning: Lagos mothers laud exercise, we’re healthier - NaijaAgroNet

It was a commendation galore for the Lagos State government on its efforts for an improved family planning service delivery and adoption among resident mothers, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This commendation is coming at the heels of 2018 World Population Day which focused its anniversary on the “Family Planning is a Human Right”.

Most of the Lagos mothers who spoke to NaijaAgroNet at a field trip to some Primary HealthCare centres in Lagos by Pathfinders International, said they see the issue of family planning as their own human rights, hence they were encouraged to go all out with additional support of their spouses towards making life better and healthier.

For a teacher, Mrs. Oluwaseyi Oluwapadia, who has been using family planning since December 2012, noted she has evidently seen the benefit on herself and her children.

“My last baby was in about September 11 and will be 7 by this year September,” she declared.
Also, she affirmed support and consent of her husband, pointing out that work permission is the only hindrance to keeping up to date with medical visits as at when due.

“My husband gave his consent and has been very supportive,” she asserted, stressing that one of the immediate benefit for her is that family planning has helped her to keep fit and look like sweet sixteen.

Another mother, Mrs. Karim Bilikis, 32, told NaijaAgroNet that family planning is very good and has enabled her to have peace in the home front.

“It allows you to have peace at home, and take care of children up to university level,” she said.
As said by her, women or mothers precisely have some work and she would like to have time to improve on her education, noted that she is on two months family planning, which she had started using it after her first child.

“There is no side-effects unless you miss your medical appointment,” she responded, when asked if there is any side effect to family planning.

Family planning for her offers users an opportunity to have happy family, help your husband. Mrs. Karim revealed that she has plan to have just three children, stressing that she see family planning as a human right.

“Women have very important work to do including the breastfeeding and catering for all the children,” Mrs Karim said.

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Saturday, May 19, 2018

Spousal communication key to family planning success

As communication is key to a successful marriage, so it is with family planning uptake among couples.

Conversely, lack of communication has often been linked to misunderstanding in relationships. Family planning, otherwise known as contraception, refers to the diverse methods and techniques whereby couples can determine the number of children they want to have and when.

Evidence has shown that many factors hinder rapid uptake of family planning by couples, due to lack of communication in the home.

Some of them include: myths and misconceptions on initiating use of traditional and modern methods of contraceptives.

Many couples are in relationships where it is commonly believed that the man being the head of the family dictates the tune with regards to taking key decisions in the home. For instance, if the man does not approve of any family planning method, the wife would have an uphill task convincing him on thinking otherwise.

Based on such differences, some women in marriage/relationships have gone behind their spouses and adopted family planning method without their knowledge, have often created mistrust which regularly leads to conflicts in homes. In one of such experiences which occurred in Lagos State recently, a man, names withheld, suddenly found out that his wife had adopted an implant, which is a hormone-based and highly effective contraceptive device.

The typical implant is a small flexible tube measuring about 40mm in length and is inserted under the skin (typically in the upper arm) by a health care professional. It prevents pregnancy by releasing hormones that prevent ovaries from releasing eggs and thickens cervical mucous. 

After putting pressure on the woman, she confessed to him, explaining that she wanted to space their children to enable her regain her health and then continue with her job. Besides considering the dangers of too frequent pregnancies, the woman also considered the burden of combining another pregnancy with her job, which she envisaged would be quite unbearable for her and might even make her lose her job that is so difficult to get these days.

Unfortunately, in all the woman’s explanations, her husband refused to see reasons with her just because he was not involved from the beginning when the decision was taken by his wife to have a family planning and during the process when the woman was counselled on the method to use.

Though the man in anger demanded that the healthcare provider that administered the implant on her should remove it, to the consternation of his wife, this misunderstanding could have been avoided if the couple had a collective decision on the issue which could only be achieved through effective communication.

This experience plays out in most Nigerian homes, often resulting in conflicts, separation and in extreme cases, divorce. However, it can be effectively addressed through constant engagement and communication among couples. This is because, embracing family planning methods and using them correctly after proper counselling  is more important than the conflict. Rather, it should be a measure to unite couples.

Experts say family planning gives individuals and couples the opportunity to have the number of their desired children, the spacing and timing of their births and this can be achieved through the use of contraceptive methods.

A Family Planning expert, Dr. Ejike Orji, believes that dialogue is very important when a spouse in a relationship plans to adopt family planning. According to him, any woman going ahead to do things that her husband do not like would not get his support and this may result into unnecessary conflict, whereas, the aim of using family planning was bonding in families.

It is obvious that a wide range of family planning options are available nowadays with their potential benefits. It, therefore, behooves on the woman who is initiating the subject of family planning to her husband to find a way to open conversation on the issue.

For instance, such a woman should find out what her husband thinks and says about it; and how he might relate with her on this issue. In conclusion, it is clear that a woman discussing family planning with her husband, would bring the partner to the same level on which she is, and this measure could pave way for the couple to be on the same page.


While on the same page, the woman should remember to consult a trained healthcare provider who can help her make the best choice tailored towards meeting her own unique needs.

*Courtesy: Media for Health Advocacy

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Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Make family planning sermons, media executive urges religious leaders

Religious leaders In Nigeria have been urged to make family planning a key subject in their sermons, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Leadership Newspapers, Mr Dele Fanimo, gave this charge at the Lagos office, when a delegation of Family Planning Media Advocacy Working Group (FPMAWG) led by its chairperson, Mrs. Chioma Umeha, paid him an advocacy visit.

Churches and mosques, he told NaijaAgroNet, need to do more, underlining the fact that some of these things should form part of the Sunday sermon and Friday mosque service.

“They need to demystify the myths and misconceptions to their members. Imagine a woman attaching child birth to inheritance. Some will say, if you live in a man’s house and no so, you will suffer when the man dies.

“Not able to cater for a large family can also lead to corruption because when you have more than you can care for, you would be forced to steal,” he bemoaned.

He also called on traditional leaders, religious leaders and political elites to help and demystify the myths and misconceptions of family planning as the media alone cannot do it.

As part of contributing its quarter in creating more awareness on FP, Fanimo assured FPMAWG that Leadership Newspaper is ready to work with them, declaring that he and Leadership team are already converts on FP.

Fanimo, accompanied by the acting General Manager, Southern Operation at Leadership, Mrs. Angela Tony Iji, further urged the FPMAWG to see beyond newspaper publications but go to the rural communities, community leaders and other stakeholders to sensitize them on the importance of FP.

“… They in turn will now be an advocate of family planning,” he declared.

The working group chairperson, Mrs. Umeha, noted that Family Planning (FP) has been a worldwide issue, which paved the way to an international Family Planning Summit in London on July 11, 2017, to discuss efforts to reach the FP 2020 goals and ensure that more women and girls around the world are able to plan their families and their future.

Umeha at the advocacy visit was in the company of Chioma Obinna of Vanguard Newspapers and Remmy Nweke of DigitalSENSE Africa Media, publishers of NaijaAgroNet, pointed out that the Summit made a commitment to increase the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) from 15 percent to 27 percent by 2020 at that meeting.

He also said that in Nigeria, government at both the Federal and State have shown commitment to the provision of free FP services to the entire women of child-bearing age in the country.

Further, she said that family planning initiatives when effectively done, could reduce maternal deaths by up to 34 per cent and newborn death by about 15 per cent.

Also, the chairperson’s team included Pastor Olusegun Omotayo Adeboye as well as Mrs Shotomiwa Olubunmi, both of Lagos Advocacy Working Group (LAWG) and Public Health Sustainable Advocacy Initiative (PHSAI).


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Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Applause for Lagos: As more women embrace family planning

It was an applause time for the centre of excellence, Lagos as more women have embraced the state family planning programmes, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Investigations by NaijaAgroNet, showed that some Lagos women gave this indication in chat at the weekend, highlighting the fact that they have overcome the myths, challenges and misconceptions surrounding family planning uptake and the likely side effects.

This follows recent reports that the uptake of family planning method in Lagos State has been on the rise, dispelling the myth and misconception on family planning thereof.

Amongst the most common of these myths are perceptions that family planning causes excessive bleeding and infertility. However, a soaring number of women have overcome these challenges.

A few of them who shared their experiences with NaijaAgroNet, explained how they overcame the myths, challenges and misconceptions surrounding family planning uptake and the side effects.

One of the women, Mrs Fatiyasat Abdul, (real name withheld) a 34 year old trader and a mother of three had little knowledge of Family planning when she got married over a decade ago.

Abdul said she belonged to the group of Nigerian women that believe it is God that gives children and provides for their upkeep, hence no faith in family planning.
This perception, however, changed when Fatimah Abdul was pregnant with her second child five years after marriage, when a health provider educated her about family planning and its benefits.

Mrs Abdul narrated her experience in Lagos, pointing out how her initial excitement about the advantages of family planning was dampened by friends who discouraged her about it, claiming that family planning will make her bleed, become infertile and then develop fibroids.

“My friends in the market place discouraged me, saying family planning will make me not to have children again, and blood will be gushing out of my body without stopping. That actually discouraged me.”

However, Abdul remarked that if not for her husband who encouraged her to go back to the hospital after she had her second child, she probably would not have continued the family planning.

“I was always afraid to do it because of what my friends told me. That was why I had to stop after six months of using the injectable. I was able to space my children because my husband used the withdrawal method. But when I finally gave birth to my last child, I went to the family planning unit of Lagos Island Maternity Hospital. They educated me on the benefits of family planning along with the side effects which can be managed.

“It was at that point I realized that what my friends at the market place were saying was all lies and I also realized that my husband struggles to pay the school fees of our children and he could be helped if we embrace family planning,” she said.

And for Betty Samson, a 42-year old beautician and a mother of two said she heard about family planning over the radio and was able to do injectable, when she travelled to South Africa, after her first child.

Unfortunately, she experienced some complications as she was bleeding continuously after her menstruation. When she went back to the clinic to report her experience, the provider asked her to continue.

When the bleeding continued, she stopped the use. After 10 years, she has conquered her fears and decided to go back to using a family planning method but this time, an implant.


Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the Performance Monitoring and Accountability (PMA2020) identified that Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) in the state has increased drastically in recent time.

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Monday, February 12, 2018

Lagos PHSAI boss demands more funding for family planning

The Lagos State chairman of the Public Health Sustainable Advocacy Initiative (PHSAI), Mr. Ayo Adebusoye has demanded more funding for the family planning activities and campaigns in the centre of excellence, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Speaking on the interventions by the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on family planning, at a three-day Pathfinder’s AFP SMART Media Advocacy Workshop in Lagos, recently, Mr. Adebusoye while giving the Lagos State Family Planning (FP) Status, highlighted some of the challenges faced by PHSAI with top on being lack of funding.

He stressed the need to monitor budget, saying that “if you don't know what was budgeted, how can you monitor or follow up,” insisting that non release of fund for FP is a factor hindering the achievement of FP2020 goals and advocated for more funding.

Also, he mentioned that population growth rate which is at about 3.2 per cent, Total Fertility Rate (TFR) stood at about four births per women.

He decried what is at stake and how low adoption is affecting Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR). MMR is highest among the poor. Lagos state goal overall CPR of 74% by 2020 and the purpose is to avert 2.6 million unintended pregnancies and 8000 maternal life saved.

Mr Adebusoye similarly talked about the background and objectives of PHSAI as well as the activities of the group.

He talked about how the agenda and FP budget tracking indicators, disbursement and expenditure will be focused on in this New Year, 2018; expressing confidence that PHSAI was fundamentally established to work closely with FB Media Advocacy Working Group.

The workshop was organised by Pathfinder International Nigeria with some international partners.

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Thursday, February 8, 2018

2019: Make family planning political agenda - Salami

The Associate Director, Pathfinder International Nigeria, Dr. Habeeb Salami has tasked the Nigerian media to make family planning a political agenda for the forthcoming general elections in 2019, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Welcoming participants to a three-day Pathfinder’s AFP SMART Advocacy Workshop in Lagos recently urged media practitioners especially in the health sector to ensure that family planning attains agenda status in the next year elections.

“We should let health issues be among campaignable issues as election time is around the corner against 2019,” he charged.

Dr. Salami who lead the Pathfinder’s team on behalf of the Country Director, explained the importance of the workshop for media practitioners, saying its to form a formidable media group that will do a focused-advocacy on family planning.

According to him the overall aim is to achieve an increase in the uptake in Contraceptive Prevalent Rate (CPR) rate by 74 per cent in two-year time, that is, by 2020.

Opportunities, he said, are abound in the media to get policy makers to do the needful, stressing that the current state of “our health indices are too bad for us as a country.”

He also said that there have been calls on why another group is being created because there are other advocacy groups, insisted that “Pathfinder wanted a very focused and evidence-based advocacy.”


The workshop moderated by the Communications Officer at Pathfinder International, Mrs. Somto Atuanya, alongside, Mrs Yemisi and Mrs Edirin Aderemi, while other speakers at the event included Dr. Sidiat Okaga, Dr. Folashade Oludare and Mr. Ayo Adebusoye among others.

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Monday, December 18, 2017

Nigerian stakeholders get FPMAWG

The Nigerian stakeholders have setting up the Family Planning Media Advocacy Working Group (FPMAWG) as part of efforts at advancing their commitments on issues of family planning in the country, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The FPMAWG executive committee includes Chioma Umeha – Chairperson, Angela Onwuzoo - vice chairperson, Mayuwa Adeniran – Public Relations Officer (PRO), Bukola Ajiboye – Secretary, Ijeoma Ukazu - Assistant Secretary, and Appolonia Adeyemi as Financial Secretary.

Setting up the FPMAWG in Lagos, the Associate Director of Reproductive Health and Family Planning (RH/FP) at Pathfinder International office in Nigeria, Dr. Habeeb Salami, defined advocacy as “organized, deliberate, systematic, and strategic process intended to bring about a new or revised social or economic policy or programme.”

He also said that advocacy involves setting of actions undertaken by a group of committed individuals or organizations to introduce change or obtain support for specific policies, programmes, legislation, issues or causes, precisely on Family Planning.

Salami urged FPMAWG to seek to draw and sustain the attention of critical decision makers at national, state and local and community levels on an issue of common interest to an individual, or a group of individuals or organizations, with the goal of getting these issues addressed in a mutually beneficial manner.

FPMAWG, he said, is a group of committed individuals who share a common social, political and economic interest over an issue.

“Willing to work together to change the FP situation,” he said.

Salami equally pointed out that advocacy groups could be very influential, but their influence is informal because they do not hold or control power, but try to influence people who either hold power or who may hold power, such as a candidate for an elective office, to support the positions the group is committed to.

“Advocacy groups are important players in local, state, federal, and even international social economic milieu,” he said, thus as diverse as the people and ideas they represent.

He urged for partnership with like-minded individuals or groups, noted that essentially, FPMAWG should advocate to national and local leaders that Family Planning needs high-level attention and improvements in quality and access.

Therefore, he encouraged FPMAWG to ensure the usage of the power of the media through deploying various platforms.

“Influence and make the political, policy, legal and community environments more suitable for FP,” he said.

Positing that qualities of a good and effective media AWG is predicated on the passion which he described as critical, even as membership is constituted from diverse team who are truly and genuinely committed to FP and willing to push for a change in that direction.

In her acceptance speech, the FPMAWG chairperson, Mrs Chioma Umeha assured stakeholders that her team will be up and doing in contributing their quotas to improved family planning in the country and solicited for support and understanding of all, especially the international partners.

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Pix: A cross session of stakeholders at the inaugural meeting.

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Dangote vs BUA: Atta family derides Mines Ministry over false claims

… Drags Fayemi, Dangote to court over contempt
The last may not have been heard over the mess created by the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development as the ruling Atta Omadivi Family of Okene in Kogi State has described the recent ministry’s publication bequeathing the contentious Mining Lease ML 2541 to Dangote Group as desperate move, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The family, NaijaAgroNet gathered, also said that it depicts a ‘reflection of desperate, reckless, irresponsible and partisan conduct of the ministry’ which has continued to flout all court injunctions related to the contentious lease.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that the Executive Chairman/CEO of BUA Group, Abdulsamad Rabiu had petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari on December 4, 2017 in a letter titled “A Cry for Help: Wanton Abuse of Power by a Serving Minister Geared at Sabotaging Operations of BUA Cement,” affirming that the Ministry was taking sides with Dangote Group to claim ownership of the mining site ML2541 in Okpella, Edo State. The Ministry had replied in a statement signed by its Permanent Secretary, Mohammed Abass stating that Mining Lease ML 2541 in Okene, Kogi State belongs to Dangote Industries Limited and that BUA has been illegally mining the site.

But in a press statement signed by Prince Mahmoud Atta on behalf of the Atta Family expressed disdain over the Ministry’s hasten conclusion in their publication stating that suit FHC/LK/CS/25/2017 between Alhaji Mohammed Otaru Adeika & Ors. Versus AICO Ado Ibrahim and Company Limited, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel, The Mining Cadestre Office and Dangote Industries Plc pending in Federal High Court in Lokoja will determine who owns the contentious site.

Prince Atta wonders why the Ministry has special interest in Dangote to openly and illegally bequeath them ML2541 under contention in competent Court, describing the act as tantamount to contempt of the court.

Stressing that the court had ordered that no one can claim ownership of ML2541, Atta said neither Aico nor Dangote owns ML2541 as wrongly declared by the Ministry adding that the Mining Lease remains nontransferable until the suit is determined.

According to Atta, “The frequency of the publication is reflective of desperate, reckless, irresponsible and partisan conduct of the Ministry in clear violation, disregard and suppression of a subsisting court order dated June 15, 2017 in respect to the transfer, operations and ownership of the purported Mining Lease ML 2541.

“We hereby inform the general public that the existence, validity and ownership of ML2541 is a subject matter in suit No. FHC/LK/CS/25/2017 between Alhaji Mohammed Otaru Adeika & Ors. V. AICO Ado Ibrahim and Company Limited, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel, The Mining Cadestre Office and Dangote Industries as defendants before Honourable Justice M. Sani of the Federal High Court, Lokoja Kogi State.

“We wish to state that the Honourable Minister of Mines and Steel Development the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry and Dangote Industries Plc are acting in violation of a subsisting order of injunction of the Federal High Court Lokoja, Kogi State restraining them by themselves servants agents assignees transferees or other third parties from parading themselves as the holders of ML2541 pending the determination of the substantive suit.

“For the purpose of clarity, we wish to restate again that the court was explicit in its order that no one can parade themselves as the holders of ML2541 pending the determination of the suit. As such, neither AICO nor Dangote can’t lay claim to the ownership of ML2541 as the ministry said in its offending publication. Neither is the Mining Lease transferable until the determination of the suit brought against them by our family.

“It is unfortunate this action and conduct is being perpetrated in a democratic dispensation that touts the rule of law. We have continued to insist that the purported transfer of ML2541 to Dangote Industries by Messrs AICO Ibrahim is in clear contravention of Nigerian Mining Act 2007 which the Ministry claims to be upholding in its publication.

“The publications by the Ministry seek to overreach the matter before the court and consequently we have instructed our solicitors to protect not only our interests but the sanctity of the court and the judicial process, which include bit not limited to commencing contempt proceedings against the parties in violation of the orders of the court” he said.


Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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Friday, September 22, 2017

Nigerian media tasked on family planning uptake

The Associate Director, Family Planning and Reproductive Health at Pathfinder Nigeria, Dr. Habeeb Salami, has urged Nigerian media to ensure family planning uptake in the country, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Salami in his opening remarks at a one-day media parley on the 2017 fourth round survey of Performance, Monitoring and Accountability (PMA2020) as part of the Lagos Family Planning (FP) Advocacy Working group (PHSAI), and supported by Pathfinder International, said the objective of the session was to engage the media and provide participants with relevant information with regards to latest survey results.

This, he said, would avail media to better package their reportages toward advocating for improved family planning.

As said by him, the session would also encourage media to link the data from Performance, Monitoring and Accountability (PMA2020) to family planning with the anticipated outcome of reducing Maternal Mortality (MM).

He pointed out on the need to draw attention to poor understanding and the role of family planning in reducing maternal mortality.

Dr. Salami reiterated the call on the media to do everything possible professionally to make certain Nigeria continue to see increase in better family planning.

NaijaAgroNet notes that PMA2020 and media parley also had supports from the Federal Ministry of Health, National Population Commission, National Bureau of Statistics, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health (Johns Hopkins University) and was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Chuks Egbune/GEE
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