The Oyo State Government has committed another N50 million to the procurement of family planning commodities in 2026, as part of efforts to ensure uninterrupted access to essential reproductive health services across the state.
The commitment was disclosed by the Executive Secretary, Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Muideen Olatunji, at the Oyo State Bi-Annual Stakeholders Coordination Meeting held in Ibadan.
The meeting, organised by the Oyo State Ministry of Health and the Primary Health Care Board in collaboration with the Society for Family Health (SFH), focused on strengthening family planning services, government ownership and accountability at the state and local government levels.
Olatunji said the state had invested N50 million in family planning commodities in 2025 and allocated the same amount for 2026, noting that the funding was aimed at preventing stock-outs and disruptions in service delivery.
He said the changing funding landscape had made it necessary for government to assume greater responsibility for sustaining essential health programmes and strengthening relevant institutions.
The Executive Secretary also disclosed that the state had recruited nearly 4,000 healthcare workers to boost manpower and improve service delivery, particularly across primary healthcare facilities.
He added that Ward Development Committees across the state’s 351 political wards were being mobilised to increase community participation, awareness and demand for family planning services.
Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Oyo State chapter, Hon. Olayanju Kazeem, who represented the state chairman, Hon. Sikiru Sanda, called for increased awareness of family planning among women and families.
He stressed the need for accurate information to enable individuals to make informed decisions, especially against the backdrop of prevailing economic realities.
The Iyaloja of Ibadan Land, Alhaja Risiwa Oyinlola Amiringun, called for sustained sensitisation and training of market women, saying inadequate information and limited literacy could hinder women’s understanding and utilisation of available family planning services.
Meanwhile, the Society for Family Health’s Delivering Innovation in Self-Care (DISC) 2.0 team disclosed that more than 1,000 healthcare workers drawn from 573 health facilities had been trained in family planning and counselling for choice.
Members of the team, Mrs Paulina Adeyemi, Mr Afeez Tijani and Mrs Oluwabunmi Olajide, said the training was designed to equip healthcare providers with the skills to address myths and misconceptions about family planning methods and provide clients with accurate information.
They said healthcare workers were also trained to counsel clients on possible menstrual bleeding changes associated with some family planning methods.
The team added that Community Health Extension Workers, community mobilisers and Ward Development Committees had been equipped with family planning messages to improve awareness and demand creation at the grassroots.
It further disclosed that local government monitoring and evaluation officers had received training aimed at improving data quality, reporting and accountability.
An assessment presented at the meeting showed that Oyo State recorded 65.2 per cent institutional readiness for family planning, while nine local government areas had incorporated key family planning activities into their routine programmes.
However, Ibarapa North, Saki West and another local government area were identified as requiring further strengthening.
The stakeholders, comprising government officials, local government authorities, development partners, community structures and healthcare workers, called for stronger coordination, sustained investment and greater community engagement to consolidate gains in family planning services across the state.
