Muhammad Garba
The Media Working Group in Jigawa State has pledged to continue collaborating with partners and the government to raise public awareness about the importance of family planning and access to reproductive healthcare services in reducing the high rate of maternal and child mortality.
The Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Zangina, made this commitment while speaking on behalf of working journalists during a roundtable meeting with “The Challenge Initiative (TCI).”
The meeting focused on preparations for the transition phase after TCI’s three-year intervention project in the state.
Comrade Zangina noted that TCI’s intervention had significantly strengthened demand generation and service accessibility for family planning and other reproductive healthcare services in Jigawa.
He emphasized that the high rate of maternal and child mortality remains one of the major public health concerns for the Jigawa State government and commended TCI for complementing the government’s efforts in addressing the challenge.
“With support from DEVCOMs, the media were effectively engaged during TCI’s intervention project in Jigawa State.
“We learned a great deal from this fruitful engagement, and we believe that through collaborative efforts and sincere commitment, all misconceptions and challenges surrounding family planning can be addressed,” Comrade Zangina stated.
Earlier, Jigawa State TCI Programs Manager, Mr. Ankale Malachi Kongude, explained that during the intervention period, they identified key focus areas, including advocacy, capacity building for service providers, community engagement, and demand generation.
“For our project, we selected seven local government areas where we provided direct intervention across 37 facilities. We also supported the government in scaling up efforts.
“Demand for family planning services has now increased by 60 to 70 percent compared to previous records.
“We must commend the media for their hard work, particularly through their facilities and field visits to uncover the true situation on the ground.
“Your rigorous public enlightenment campaigns have also played a significant role in dispelling many misconceptions about family planning.
“Today, rural women have become champions of family planning within their communities.
“However, the growing demand has overwhelmed supply, with most facilities running out of stock for more than two weeks each month.
“While we celebrate the success achieved, we are also working tirelessly during this transition period to ensure the state government sustains these gains and continues engaging communities for better outcomes.”
