By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The Programme Coordinator, Development Communications (DEVCOMS) Network, Mrs. Omobonike Adebayo has hinted that the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) now had 10 health facilities in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Mrs Adebayo dropped this hint in Ibadan while speaking with newsmen during a media tour organized by NURHI in collaboration with Development Communications (DEVCOMS) Network.
According to the DEVCOMS Programme Coordinator, five new health facilities were renovated by NURHI in addition to the 5 earlier renovated in the local government namely Ojoo PHC, Ajibode Oke-Ona PHC, Sassa PHC, Ikereku PHC and Olorisa Oko PHC. kinyele LGA.
She stressed that the frequent crisis emanating from economic stress, sexual demands, either high demand, low or lack of sex from couples are now been wiped away with the embrace of use of contraceptives.
Mrs Adebayo pointed out that the aimed of the media tour was to intimate the media on the activities of NURHI and DEVCOMS in helping the people of the state especially in the area of family planing and child spacing through renovation of health facilities, provision of commodities, consumables and awareness in meeting the demands of those who intend to access family planning services.
However, some section of beneficiaries especially women in both urban and rural areas in Ibadan,while narrating their experience while speaking separately with journalists during the media tour organized by NURHI in collaboration with Development Communications (DEVCOM) diaclosed that since they started having access family planning methods, it has helped them to meet their economic demands as well their responsibilities women and wives spouses which has been preventing frequent crisis, conflicts which could have resulted into unsettled home or eventual divorce.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Adesunbo Haastrup while speaking at Ojoo Primary Heath Care Centre,
said though she has learn about the use of contraceptives, but since she embraced it through the collaboration of her husband, impending divorce that could happens has been prevented.
“I have learn about it for a very long time, but I started three years ago. My experience is that since I did it there is no more conflict between me and my husband. There is no more problem, anytime he calls me, even before he calls me I will draw him because I know that there is no problem. This could have resulted in divorce” she said.
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Mrs Haastrup added that “before, there used to be crisis which we will not say out, but since I started, there is no more conflict. What made me to embrace contraceptive is that there is always conflict especially when I am at work, I am not free, I think a lot but when people close to me they use to tell me and explain to me that I should do it, I use to have fear that whoever do it will be fat or she will not give birth again, but since I did it, my status remains the same”.
“What I want to say is that this will help to plan the number of children you want, it will strengthened the love between the couple and there will be no crisis.
Another beneficiary Mrs. Korede Kayode disclosed that since she embraced the use of contraceptives, frequent clashes which would have resulted in divorce and unnecessary hardship have been prevented in her family.
“There is no more crisis between me and my husband, because whatever I want from him he gives me and whatever he want from me I give him. It has really help to reduce the stress not that you are pregnant and you are still nursing a one year old baby. So mummy I want this I want that, there is nothing like that, before you give birth to another one, the other one is old enough to send him or her go and do something for me. It is two years now, there is no complain ever since I started.
Also, another beneficiary, Mrs. Idiat Adesina while speaking at the Olorisa Oko Primary Health Care Centre, Iseyin Road, Akinyele local government area, Ibadan, said the initiative has helped to prevent crisis which could lead to divorce in her family.
“First of all, it gives room for you to space your children, second there is no fear that my husband is calling me and I am not ready. Now there is no more crisis which could lead to divorce, because it is also a sin to refuse when your husband is calling you.
“It also pave way for peace so there is no fear that one is at the nursing stage and the mother is still pregnant while the father will still be demanding. It gives me the grace to decide when I want to become pregnant.
“This is not against the religion, even it is an advantage. What Islam is against is when you cut short a human life, shi h is abortion. If I don’t plan and I am pregnant and that time the child is still small that can lead to abortion, and it is sin. But if I prevent something that will make me abort, that is not a sin”.
The Family Planning Coordinator in Akinyele Local Government Area, Mrs Bolanle Adeniran, while soeaking with journalists at Ojoo PHC stated that since NURHI and DEVCOMS have taken the campaign upon themselves, it has helped to increase contraceptives rate in the state.
“We thank God, we thank NURHI they have helped us to renovate some of our facilities and they are helping us in outreach services in family planning. The awareness has increased and people are accepting it unlike before.
“Now they use to come by themselves, with renovation of facilities initially nobody will come, but the facilities are here now, we have the personnel, the materials are there. This is attracting people to access family planning. Now we have an average of 120, that is an average here. This Ojoo here unlike before, it was not up to that”.
