Ebonyi residents urged to embrace free family planning

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…As experts lament cultural, religious barriers

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By Jeff Agbodo, Abakaliki

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Residents of Ebonyi State have been urged to take advantage of free family planning services to reduce maternal mortality, unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions in the state.

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The call was made as the state joined the rest of the world to commemorate the 2026 World Contraception Day with activities promoting access to family planning and informed reproductive health choices.

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The week-long activities climaxed with a road walk from Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium, Abakaliki, to Eke-Aba Market, where residents were sensitised on making informed and voluntary decisions about their reproductive health.

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Speaking at the event, the State Coordinator of Family Planning in the Ministry of Health, Mrs Christy Ikechukwu, said this year’s theme, “No Barriers, Just Choices: Contraceptive Access Now,” underscored the need to remove barriers preventing people from accessing contraceptive services.

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Ikechukwu thanked development partners, including the Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics, JHPIEGO; MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices; and Prevailing Global Development Initiative, PGDI, for their support.

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She said family planning services were available free of charge at healthcare centres across the state and encouraged residents to visit the nearest facility to access appropriate services.

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Ikechukwu commended the state government’s efforts in the health sector and praised the Commissioner for Health, Dr Moses Ekuma, for deploying adequate manpower to health facilities across the state.

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She said the measure had contributed to increased uptake of family planning services, particularly in rural communities.

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According to her, “contraception saves lives and transforms the future.”

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“I enjoin government, development partners, and community leaders to strengthen investments in reproductive health and ensure no woman of child-bearing age is left behind,” she said.

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She also dismissed misconceptions about contraceptive side effects and urged men to support their partners in accessing accurate information and appropriate reproductive health services.

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The MSI Regional Manager, South, Mrs Ogoamaka Aginam, said child spacing could contribute to reducing maternal and neonatal deaths.

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She said proper family planning could also improve household welfare and contribute to healthier communities.

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“When families plan properly, communities thrive, poverty declines and the cycle of ill health is broken,” she said.

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Aginam, however, lamented cultural and religious barriers that continued to hinder access to family planning services and urged women, irrespective of age or marital status, to consider contraception as part of efforts to protect their health and that of their children.

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Also speaking, the Family Planning Supervisor, Ohaukwu Local Government Area, Mrs Okpaga Mary, and her Ezza South counterpart, Mrs Eleke Jacinta, said the global campaign was aimed at promoting a world where every pregnancy was wanted.

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They noted that unintended pregnancies could contribute to preventable maternal deaths, stressing the importance of access to accurate information and voluntary family planning services.

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