Marie Stopes Nigeria, a civil society organisation has said that 48 million Nigerian women of the age of childbearing don’t have access to family planning and reproductive health services.
Daily Trust report that the figure represents 19 percent of women that attain childbearing age.
However, the childbearing age for Nigerian women is between 15 to 49 years, according to UNICEF.
Country Director, Marie Stopes Nigeria, Effiom Effiom, spoke in Abuja Monday during a two-day sexual reproductive health workshop his organization, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, organised for traditional and religious leaders.
He said lack of access to facilities for family planning and sexual reproductive health services, lack of commodities at health facilities, coupled with other traditional and religious barriers have contributed to the high maternal mortality rates in the country.
Effiom said the workshop was organised to engage traditional and religious leaders to appreciate critical issues affecting the provision and uptake of quality reproductive health services.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Mamman Mahmuda, said traditional and religious leaders had a role in promoting advocacy and supporting demand generation for sexual reproductive health services and rights to reduce maternal and infant mortalities in Nigeria.
