Wake Up Call to Support Delta State Family Planning Approach by His Excellency Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa

Press Statement by Chairpersons, Region 10 & 11, Lions Club International, District 404A1, to mark World Population Day in SUPPORT of State-initiated and State-led approach to Scale up evidence based Family Planning, Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health Interventions through Delta State SBCC Committee, Advocacy Core Group and Nigerian Urban Reproductive Initiatives under the technical assistance of The Challenge Initiative and John Hopkins Center for Communication Program.

Wake Up Call to Support Delta State Family Planning Approach by His Excellency Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa

Preamble                                

As the world population awfully experience astronomical growth and its compounding attendant health issues which puts a huge strain of burden on economic outcomes and sustainable development, especially during the COVID-19, hence, the 2021 edition, of the World Population Day, being commemorated on the 11^th July, is expeditiously themed, ‘Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Fertility’, which the Lions Club International and Norland Industrial Group Company Limited, through Chairpersons of Region 10 and 11, District 404A1 of the Lions Club International and Norland Team Sarah, respectively, seeks collaborations as private sector actors in the humanitarian services functions and suppliers and producers of internationally reputed health, food and dietary supplements for organs regeneration, restoration and rejuvenation medical science to scale up demand for family planning, adolescent, youth sexual and reproductive health interventions in Delta State through public awareness, capacity strengthening and advocacy in three (3) Local Government Areas, namely: Warri South, Udu and Uvwie on the 16^th 17^th and 18th July 2021, respectively.  

Brief on World Population Day

The World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11, aimed to raise awareness of global population issues. The event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989. It was inspired by the public interest in 5 billion Day on July 11, 1987, the approximate date on which the world’s population reached 5 billion people. Consequently, World Population Day aims to scale up the adoption of evidence based family planning, adolescent, youth sexual and reproductive health intervention by the most vulnerable in our rural and urban areas.

Brief on Lions Club International Humanitarian Services

Consequently, in response to the tradition, culture, passion and commitment of the Lions Club International to actively participate in humanitarian services, globally and her Consultative Statutory role to the United Nations as a leading none state agency, we hereby stand up with all actors in humanitarian services to commemorate the World Population Day, 2021.

Brief on Norland Industrial Group Company Limited

Norland is an international hi-tech enterprise devoted to innovation research and transformation application of high technology in the field of life science. The company was established in 2008 in Beijing, China and has expanded business in 80 countries and regions. Norland adheres to its corporate mission of “Open the Era of Human Life Economy, Make Health, Beauty and Wisdom Benefit Everyone” – in the preventive medicine industry, precision medical industry, Chinese medicine industry, health industry and beauty industry and helped build a connected “Industry Chain Ecological Matrix”. Currently, Norland is operational with over 600 Stockist Centres and thousands of product distributors, in Nigeria.

Delta State Government’s Family Planning Services and Reproductive Health Interventions

Hence, we recount the impressive strides the Delta State Government has made over the past 4 to 5 years as significant outcome from the adoption of The Challenge Initiatives (TCI) models and operating technical partners, John Hopkins Centre for Communication Programme in the implementation and sustained advocacy undertaken by the Delta State Social Behaviour Change Communication Committee (SBCCC), under the leadership of Barr. Eugene Azuka Uzum, Director General, Delta State Bureau of Orientation domiciled in the state’s Primary Health Care Development Agency to advance a culture of evidence based planned parenting, adolescent, youth sexual and reproductive health intervention which focuses on six (6) priority areas, namely:

-        Demand driven,

-        Local Ownership and System readiness,

-        Right-fitting interventions,

-        Coaching Support,

-        Leveraging and activating existing structures and systems and

-        Using near-to real-time data.)

It is these conscientious efforts Advocacy Core Group (ACG) and key stakeholders leading to the approval of N20m budget line, in 2020, by the Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi A. Okowa led administration, for the first, as one of the 1o Implementing States (Abia, Anambra, Bauchi, Delta, Kano, Niger, Ogun, Plateau, Rivers and Taraba), that occasioned Delta State to record impressive response of her citizens to family planning and reproductive health interventions.

In a statement issued by Christian Tesola, Delta State Coordinator, Reproductive Health and Family Planning, Family Planning Programmes remains free for all families in the state. Additionally, it is disclosed that this development has accounted for over 53,583 women taking up family planning.

In another remote success story, as reported in This Day of March 29, 2021, COVID-19: More Deltans Access Family Planning Services, that emerging indication revealed that more and more people in Delta State are adopting family planning methods, with the number of persons  accessing the family planning services in urban areas increasing significantly even during the COVID-19 lockdown.

However, from these success stories and the inadequacies identified, we draw inspiration and motivation to convene the commemoration of the World Population Day with the theme: Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Fertility – as a platform to send out this clarion wakeup call to well meaning individuals, corporate organisations, non-governmental organisation, faith based organisations and innovative product and service providers, to join their financial resources, goodwill and social capital with the effort of the Delta State Government to leave no one behind in funding capacity development needs of stakeholders, provision of access and affordability of family planning services and consumables to the rural poor, vulnerable adolescents and youths and those at risk of unwanted pregnancy, early pregnancy, out of school girl child as a result of unplanned parenting.

Profile of Events to Commemorate WPD in Warri South, Udu and Uvwie Local Government Areas

Type of Event: Wakeup Call - Private Sector Participation Family Planning Services in Delta State

Theme: Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Fertility

Policy Driver: Evolving Business Case, Intelligent and Responsible Evidence Based Support for State-initiated, State-led Family Planning, Adolescent, Youths Sexual and Reproductive Health Intervention in Delta State through collaboration amongst private sector partners.

Dates: We shall organise the commemoration events of the World Population Day in the following order

16^th   July 2021 - Warri South LGA

17^th July 2021 - Udu LGA

18^th July 2021 – Uvwie LGA

We therefore appeal to the general public and corporate organisation to join forces together to make family planning, adolescent, youth sexual and reproductive health interventions available to everyone and everywhere with the media playing a big role in these efforts.

Thank you for your attention and action

Signed:

Lion Barry Eboma NLCF

Region 10 Chairperson

Lions Clubs international

(District 404 A1)

Lion Uche Igbenoba NLCF

Region 11 Chairperson

Lions Clubs International (District 404 A1)

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