More nursing mothers and their partners in Nung Udoe, Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State have declared support for Family Planning programme, citing satisfaction with its services.
Statistics from District Health Information System says from October to December, 2024, 1.043 were acceptors but from January to March 2025, 1,126 were new acceptors, showing an increase of eight per cent.
Speaking during the June in-reach session held at the Primary Healthcare Centre, OP Base, on Wednesday, June 18, the Family Planning Supervisor for the area, Mrs. Ime Ekere, reported a steady rise in the uptake of family planning methods among women and couples in the community.
Ekere attributed the success to sustained community engagement through monthly in-reach and out-reach programmes spearheaded by The Challenge Initiative (TCI) in partnership with local healthcare providers.
“I was able to address the myths and misconceptions people have about family planning. It was an engaging session that prompted over 20 new positive responses before midday,” she said, expressing optimism that more women would access services before the close of the day.
Mrs. Uduak Samuel Okon, a mother of three, explained how family planning helped her space her children effectively.
“I started using family planning after my first child. We have spaced them properly my first child is six years old, the second is four, and the baby is just a few months old. I remove it whenever we are ready for another child, and I will do the same again if we want another baby,” she stated.
Another mother, Mrs. Inyeneobong Etim, said she finally embraced family planning after giving birth to her fourth child. Although her husband had supported the idea, she had initially been discouraged by myths and misconceptions.
“My husband used to encourage me to take up family planning, but I didn’t believe in it because of fear. I’m very happy now because I haven’t experienced any side effects,” she said, calling on other women to ignore the myths and access the service.
Mr. Eninekid John Usoro, Chairman of the Ward Development Committee (WDC) Ward 3, also endorsed family planning, stating that he and his wife are active users.
“We embraced family planning after our last child. There is a lot of misinformation out there. We need to intensify awareness campaigns to educate more people on what family planning truly is—and what it is not,” he emphasized.
Similarly, Mr. Esema Umoh, a father of one, expressed full support for family planning. He explained that he and his wife planned a five-year interval between children.
“I support family planning. We’ve had one child and waited four years now. Our plan is to wait five years between births,” he said.
Mr. Umoh further noted that economic realities influenced their decision.
“With the way our economy is now, you have to plan. You can’t just bring children into the world when you’re not sure you can cater for them,” he added.
The continued rise in family planning uptake in Nung Udoe and surrounding communities highlights the effectiveness of TCI’s model of regular in-reaches, community education, and targeted sensitization as vital tools in increasing access to reproductive health services across Akwa Ibom.
Reported by Grace Usen
