As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to observe the World Contraception Day, experts have called for urgent action on unwanted and underage pregnancies to check the rising rate of unsafe abortion in the country.
They​ gave the warning in a statement jointly issued on Wednesday.
The Programme Director of Development Communications Network (Devcoms), Akin Jimoh, noted that the majority of young people in Nigeria are not empowered with quality information to make informed decisions about their reproductive health.

“It’s Your Life, It’s Your Responsibility’’ is the theme for the 2019 World Contraception Day, aimed to promote the health and welfare of the entire family and in turn the whole community, nation and the world.
World Contraception Day is an annual event commemorated to improve awareness of all contraceptive methods available, and also encourage young people to make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health.

Worried by stock-out of contraceptive commodities and consumables, experts at the Performance Monitoring and Accountability (PMA) 2020, a recent family planning (FP) review, advocated increased funding for FP by state governments.
 
In view of high incidence of unplanned pregnancies, Funmi Olaolorun, the Co-Principal Investigator, PMA 2020, stressed that increased funding by state governments would  tackle  stock-out of contraceptive commodities and consumables in many states.
 

The Chairman, National Population Commission (NPC), Eze Duruiheoma (SAN), has advised families to adopt birth control measures to avert population disaster and harness demographic dividend in Nigeria.
 
Mr. Duruiheoma gave the advice on Tuesday in Abuja while briefing newsmen as part of the activities to commemorate the 2017 Annual Population Lecture Series (APLS) scheduled to hold on October 30.