By Aniefiok Christopher
The 2025 World Contraceptives Day was marked in style in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital last Friday. The event, which began with a road walk, started at 8 a.m. at Anchor Insurance House, Wellington Bassey Way End taking participants to Akpan Andem Entrepreneurial Market, Udo Umanah Street in Uyo.
The commemoration of the day on the theme: A Choice For All: Agency, Intention and Access had commenced with an awareness campaign organised by Akwa Ibom Primary Healthcare Development Agency in collaboration with The Challenge Initiative (TCI) Nigeria and TVC/DEVCOMS Media Group, across major streets in Uyo.
The partners and other participants adorned with yellow polos and fez caps ceaselessly spread contraceptives gospel along the streets to drum support in advancing access to voluntary contraception, working together to build healthier families, stronger communities and a more prosperous Akwa Ibom. One of the partners used portable Bullhorn megaphone to send out the message.
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At the Akpan Andem Market, women milled around the speakers, listening to the advantages of contraceptives to avoid unwanted pregnancy.
Speaking at the market office, Mrs Enobong Eshiet, the Family Planning Coordinator with the State Primary Healthcare Agency, stated the activities of the day included a mobile outreach, where free Family Planning services were offered to members of the public, among other features, like theme talk and myths busters.
According to her, the campaign was to enable market women and men to make informed choices on Family Planning as well as to take advantage on clinical mentoring programmes, which she hinted, could save women’s lives in the communities.
Addressing journalists at the event, Mrs Priscilla Acholonu, a Technical Support Lead with Demand Generation for TCI stated that government agencies and partners have in the past 15 years marked the event with the view to educate couples on the need to make choices, when and how many children they should have, insisting that family planning is critical to a woman’s health, well-being, prosperity and control over the family’s future.
She emphasised the need for crucial role of contraception in empowering individuals to take control of their reproductive health, adding that proper Family Planning could help to address unbridled population growth in Nigeria, which many claim has contributed to the country’s socio-economic challenges.
While highlighting the critical need to bridge the gap between knowledge and access to effective family planning methods, Mrs Acholonu observed that absence of Family Planning has led to death of many women with multiple birth rates arising from complications during pregnancy and child birth.
She stressed the importance of expanding access to contraception to improve health outcomes, reduce maternal mortality, and empower women to make informed decisions about their reproductive futures.
While commending government effort and that of development partners for the yearly event, Mr Edidiong Bassey, a Public Health Practitioner in the State, said “Untrained healthcare providers and biases in service provision complicate access. Also, Inadequate facilities and poor access to services, especially in rural areas, remain significant challenges.”
According to her, “Cultural, religious, and political influences have also contributed to the problem.”
The audience listened with rapt attention as they showed support over widespread myths and misconceptions, concerns over future fertility, and fear on side effects to deter many young couples from embracing modern contraceptives.
It was the turn of Mrs Ukpeme Sylvanus, a participant at the event, who appealed to the State Government and health officials to take the campaign to rural communities and also consider the need to educate religious leaders to dispel misconceptions.
One of the speakers at the 2025 World Contraceptives Day in Uyo
Advocating comprehensive education on reproductive health, she highlighted the importance of male involvement in reproductive health decisions, claiming that family planning champions can influence informed choices.
The turnout for the event was imaginably expected. An inquest on the situation from the Market Association’s office, revealed sadly, that most of the women, who claim that there was hunger in the land, would have preferred, or were expecting the State Government to come and share staple food items, rather than inviting them for free Family Planning services.
Participants at the 2025 World Contraceptives Day
Other speakers at the event were Dr Obasesam Edet, State Programme Manager for The Challenge Initiative and staffers of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and TVC/DEVCOMS Media Group.
