Stakeholders working against Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting (FGM/C) in Oyo State have called for sustained commitment, stronger legislation, and increased investment to eliminate the pracrice, warning that progress recorded over the years could be reversed without deliberate action.
The call was made in Ibadan, during a media briefing to commemorate the 2026 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, organised by the Centre for Comprehensive Promotion of Reproductive Health (CCPRH) in collaboration with the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, and funding from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The event, themed: “Towards 2030: No End to FGM without Sustained Commitment and Investment”, held at the Boardroom, Mediation Centre, Ministry of Justice, Oyo State Government Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, brought together government officials, development partners, civil society organisations, and members of the press.
In the keynote address, the Chairman, Oyo State House of Assembly Committee on Women Affairs and Community Development, Dr Olufunke Comforter Olajide, described the protection of the girl child as a collective responsibility, describing FGM as a harmful practice with severe health and psychological consequences.
She said: “The welfare, growth, and development of our society rest heavily on the wellbeing of every girl child. We must nurture, protect, and preserve their future.
“FGM poses immediate and long-term complications that create psychosocial, emotional, and unhealthy imbalances. We must strive for a community where every girl can thrive without fear of being cut.”
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The lawmaker identified legislative oversight, budgetary commitment, and policy continuity as critical pillars in ending the practice.
Olajide stated: “We must strengthen laws such as the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law and ensure enforcement. Relevant ministries and agencies must create budget lines for anti-FGM programmes, while policies must be sustained across administrations if we are to meet the 2030 target.”
Also, the Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Appropriation and State Economic Planning, Hon. Olasunkanmi Babalola said the state already has laws but needs effective implementation.
He noted: “The problem is not the absence of laws but their effectiveness. We are introducing post-legislative scrutiny to review how laws perform after execution and make necessary improvements.”
Welcoming the guests, the Executive Director, CCPRH, Emeritus Professor Oladosu Ojengbede, said the global theme for 2026 highlights the need for consistent financing and political will, highlighting the progress made in reducing FGM prevalence in Nigeria, particularly in Oyo State, where it has declined from 65 percent to 18 percent.
Ojengbede emphasised that despite the progress, nearly one in five girls and women in Oyo State still experiences FGM, and many more remain at risk, attributing the decline in prevalence to advocacy, legislation, community engagement, and survivor leadership.
He said: “Sustained investment means: predictable financing for prevention, protection, and response; capacity building for health workers, justice actors, and social service providers; community-led approaches that shift norms over time; strong data systems to track progress and guide decisions; enforcement of laws, alongside survivor-centred support. Crucially, it also means domestic resource mobilisation, not reliance on short-term donor projects.”
Ojengbede commended the Oyo State Government for demonstrating leadership in reducing FGM prevalence, urging it to institutionalise funding for anti-FGM work through dedicated budget lines across relevant ministries and agencies, and for oversight bodies to ensure that policies and laws translate into action at the community level in order to protect the gains and accelerate progress towards zero.