The Baba-Loja of Igando/Ikotun Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Alhaji Ogundele Olorunfemi, on Wednesday advised women to adopt a family planning method for their well-being.

Olorunfemi spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of a medical outreach on family planning, organised by the Alimosho Local Government in conjunction with The Challenge Initiative (TCI) for women.

TCI is led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the U.S.

Olorunfemi who spoke in Yoruba language noted that gone were the days when people gave birth to many children without spacing them.

“Family planning is very important because people no longer give birth to many children like the olden days where women gave birth to many children.

“If you have family planning, it will help you to plan the number of children you want and how to space then so that as a woman you will enjoy your body according to the health educator.

“The health educators have helped to allay the fear entertained by some of our women who think it is harmful,” he said.

He commended TCI for supporting the government through its collaboration to make family planning accessible for free to women in the area.

A beneficiary of the programme, Mrs Bolaji Oluwatosin, said she decided to go for family planning to avoid the same mistake she made with her previous baby.

“My Last baby was not up to a year before I got pregnant with this new baby I am carrying and I don’t want the same thing to happen to me again,” she said.

Also, Mrs Tawa Sakariya told NAN that family planning had helped her to space her children properly.

“Family planning is very good. My husband and I can cater for our children because we planned the number of children we have due to family planning,” she said.

Speaking also, Mrs Blessing Eze, who is a young mother, commended TCI for educating them on the benefits of family.

She said, “I have learnt a whole lot about the benefits of family planning and I chose a method good for me based on the counselling from the health educator.’’

NAN reports that TCI health educators sensitised women at the programme on the importance and types of family planning methods available.

A free family planning service which included counselling was rendered to women who participated at the outreach.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria