The District Head of Gagi in the Sokoto South Local Government Area, Alhaji Sani Umar Jabbi, has called for increased investment in family planning, saying it is critical to reducing maternal and infant mortality and improving quality of life.
Umar Jabbi made the call while addressing journalists at his palace in Sokoto.
He said family planning should focus on enabling families to adequately care for their children rather than merely controlling population growth.
“Almost everybody knows that the population of this country requires support and management. We don’t mind the number, but we are mindful of the quality of life.
“What we mean is pregnancy by choice, not pregnancy by accident. Women who want to space pregnancies should not suffer in getting access to modern contraception,” he said.
The traditional ruler commended the Sokoto State Government for supporting family planning services, recalling that Governor Ahmed Aliyu released N30 million for family planning commodities in 2024 following advocacy by stakeholders.
He said stakeholders had again appealed to the governor to increase funding for family planning commodities to N150 million this year.
According to him, improved access to family planning services would help address maternal and infant mortality by enabling women to properly space their pregnancies.
Jabbi also commended the state government’s implementation of its nine-point Smart Agenda, particularly in the health sector.
He said adequate spacing between pregnancies would give mothers sufficient time to recover and enable families to better provide for their children.
The traditional ruler, however, said efforts to address insecurity should also include investment in children’s education, healthcare and welfare.
“To end insecurity, we need to know the children we are giving birth to. We don’t mind the number. If you want, you give birth to 1,000 children, but you must ensure non-compromisable rights in education, healthcare and shelter,” he said.
Jabbi said children who were not adequately cared for could become vulnerable to negative social influences, which he said could contribute to social vices and insecurity.
“We are giving birth to children that we are not taking care of; they become victims of negative circumstances promoting social vices.
“You see the level at which we are producing banditry and extreme violence, which is not acceptable at all,” he said.
