|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Alex Ukam, the Federal Commissioner, representing Cross River at the National Population Commission (NPC), says it is unfortunate that women are unfairly blamed for infertility in Nigeria.
Ukam stated this during a Press Briefing in Calabar, the Cross River State Capital, held on Friday in commemoration of the 2025 World Population Day (WPD).
According to reports, World Population Day is marked annually on July 11 in order to raise awareness on global population issues such as population growth, reproductive health, gender equality, poverty, and sustainability.
The theme of the 2025 observance is, “The Real Fertility Crisis: the Pursuit of Reproductive Health Agency.
Speaking on the matter, Ukam said fertility decisions are influenced by a multitude of factors including health, education, economic conditions, cultural norms, access to reproductive services, among others.
Read also: Why more Nigerians are experiencing infertility — Experts
According to him, addressing fertility issues require comprehensive efforts including increasing awareness, improving access to reproductive health services, and empowering women.
“Recent demographics show severe fertility decline worldwide, more worrisome is the disturbing fact that millions of individuals and families out there face challenges of inability to have the number of children they desire.
“We must approach this issue with empathy, understanding, and a commitment to supporting our people make informed decisions that affect their reproductive health,” he said.
He noted that in Cross River State NPC had engaged hard-to-reach communities in the State on the importance of birth registration with a conduct of a malaria survey, just as it partnered the Office of Cross River’s first lady to improve registration of women and caregivers.
Governor Bassey Otu, represented by Bong Duke, Chief Executive Officer of the State Planning Commission, said Cross River State’s greatest asset is its population as suggested by socio-economic indicators.
While noting the benefits of the population if the State should invest wisely in human capital development, Governor Otu said without proper investment on the population, it would be a disaster.
Read also: Female factor Infertility
“As the world celebrates WPD we must recommit ourselves to policies and actions that ensure every citizen, regardless of age, gender and background, has the opportunity to thrive in an equitable and sustainable society”, he added.
Similarly, Andrew Kirima, Head of Office of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Cross River Sub-Office, said the real crisis is not the decline infertility rate or eight billion World population size, but a lack of reproductive agency.
Represented by Lanre Alabi, Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst with UNFPA, Kirima said among the most affected are young people who are embarking on their journeys to adulthood.
“Helping young people to become economically independent through secure jobs and sufficient income for housing and other living costs will help them feel financially stable to choose whether to have children,” he said.
