By; Bayo Akamo, Ibadan.
The Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji has asked Nigerians to embrace family planning and have the number of children they can conveniently cater for.
Oba Adetunji made the call while speaking in his palace during a one day community dialogue on promoting child and family health care delivery facilitated by the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN) for Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health Project (PACFaH).
The royal father pointed out that there is also the need for parents across the country to without wasting time take child spacing serious to save the lives of both the mother and child.
According to the Olubadan, in doing this, Nigerians especially the people of Ibadan and Oyo state should learn how to live in an improved environment so as to ensure improved healthcare.
He stated that he had already mandated all members of the Olubadan in Council to embark on massive campaign on ways of preventing the scourge of infant mortality across the 11 local government in Ibadanland.
“Since good health will lead to prosperity, we must always imbibe good environmental habits and support government in its on-going efforts to keep our environments clean. It is only thus that we can avert the burden of pneumonia and diarrhoea diseases”, Oba Adetunji said.
In her speech, the Director of the PACFaH Project, Mrs. Farida Sada Yusuf declared that Oyo State now has the second highest burden of childhood pneumonia and diarhoea disease among the six South Western states in Nigeria and that by the most recent Nigerian Demographic Health Survey (NDHS), of the annual live birth figure of 235,000 in Oyo state, 20,000 die before reaching the age 5.
“For every 1000 live birth in the state “90 of them will die before they mark their 5th birthday. This translate to one in every eleven children in Oyo state dying before they are aged five. Pneumonia and Diarrhoea accounts for 10% each of the under five mortality rate, Oyo state has the second highest burden of childhood pneumonia and diarrhoea disease among the six South Western states in Nigeria”she said.
The Director while tracing the reason for “these preventable deaths to poor access to healthcare, particularly in rural areas” declared that the media dialogue with the Olubadan was to solicit the support of the royal father in helping to advocate for positive change by influencing government decisions / administrative guidelines to commit and fulfill its existing commitments to healthcare delivery in the state”.
The programme was attended by the Oyo State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Pastor Benjamin Olayiwola Akanmu, Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheikh Abdul-ganiyu Abubakri, women leaders and other stakeholders.
