Women in Jigawa decry lack of family planning commodities

Women in Jigawa State have called on the government to ensure increased availability of free contraceptives, citing persistent challenges in accessing family planning services.

The appeal was made during activities marking the 2025 Safe Motherhood Day. Several women shared their experiences with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), expressing frustration over the shortage of family planning commodities in public health facilities.

Zaliha Usman, 25, said she first became aware of the services during a previous antenatal visit and, after gaining her husband's support, began seeking access. “Since we made the decision about five months ago, my husband and I have been checking many facilities in Dutse to access the services, but we were told that there are no commodities,”; she said.

Another resident, Madaniya Habibu, 26, explained that she was asked to buy contraceptives before she could access services at a facility, despite previously receiving them for free.

“Please, the government should assist us by giving us the commodities which were earlier distributed for free at the hospitals,”; she said.

Amina Adamu, a service provider at Limanchi Primary Healthcare Centre, confirmed a rise in the number of women willing to embrace family planning.

However, she noted that many women expect the commodities to be free. “We usually ask them to purchase the commodities and access the free services at the facility, but they usually grumble that government has been providing the commodity free of charge,”; she stated.

She added that economic hardships have led more men in remote areas to support their wives’ decisions to adopt family planning, though they also depend on free access.

Ankale Kongude, Programme Manager for The Challenge Initiative (TCI) in Jigawa, identified commodity procurement as a key issue.

He revealed that the last procurement in the state was in 2022, despite budget allocations in 2023 and 2024. He stressed the need for sustainable planning to ensure continuity after TCI’s eventual exit.

Uwani Abdullahi, coordinator of the community-based organization “Matan Karkara,”; also advocated for increased support. She noted that many women struggle to raise large families and need time to nurture their children before taking on more responsibilities.

Efforts to get a response from the state government regarding the provision of free family planning services were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

The National Safe Motherhood Day, observed annually on April 11, raises awareness on the risks women face during pregnancy and childbirth. The initiative, launched by the United Nations in 1987, aligns with global efforts to reduce maternal mortality.