The Sokoto State Government, under the leadership of Governor Ahmed Aliyu, has allocated ₦30 million to enhance family planning services across all 23 local government areas of the state.
The announcement was made by Dr Bello Kilgori, State Manager of The Challenge Initiative (TCI), during a one-day media and stakeholders’ roundtable held in Sokoto.
Dr Kilgori attributed the development to the sustained support of TCI, particularly in the establishment of the State Family Planning Advocacy Core Group (FP-ACG), which has been instrumental in promoting access and awareness.
He disclosed that the ₦30 million funding would be used to procure additional family planning commodities and strengthen service delivery, particularly for women and children.
“Between January 2024 and March 2025, Sokoto State recorded 302,539 new family planning acceptors, which is a remarkable increase,” he noted.
Kilgori identified strong community engagement, youth and adolescent participation, and the formation of community resolution groups as major drivers of the success recorded so far.
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He added that these efforts have expanded the capacity of health facilities and built a robust pool of trained family planning service providers across the state.
Traditional Institutions Join the Campaign
In his remarks, the District Head of Gagi, who is also a member of the Sultanate Council, stressed the need for greater involvement of religious and traditional institutions in family planning advocacy.
“Let us speak about family planning in our mosques, public gatherings, and cultural forums to enhance community acceptance,” he urged.
He described family planning as a basic human right and stressed the importance of ensuring unhindered access to contraceptive services, particularly for women.
The traditional leader also commended the media for their continued efforts in promoting reproductive health awareness across communities.
He praised Governor Ahmed Aliyu for his commitment, noting that the budgetary approval would significantly improve commodity availability and service efficiency across the state’s health facilities.