By Juliet Oladele, Reporting
HEALTH authorities in Oyo State have ordered an immediate intensification of monitoring and public awareness campaigns to combat the rising prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), after recent data placed the state among the top five worst-affected regions in the country.
The directive was issued on Thursday to medical officers from all 33 local government areas, amid growing alarm over the continued surge of the harmful practice.
According to the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, conducted by UNFPA and UNICEF, Oyo ranks alongside Ebonyi, Ekiti, Imo, and Osun as a national hotspot for FGM.
In response, the Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Centre for Comprehensive Promotion of Reproductive Health (CCPRH), convened a one-day capacity-building training for health officers. The session took place at Plaza De Aruna Hotel in Oyo Town and brought together Medical Officers of Health, Health Educators, and Monitoring and Evaluation Officers from every local government area in the state.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of the Primary Health Care Board, Dr Muideen Olatunji — represented by the Director of Special Duties, Dr Abiodun Akeem Akande — reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to eradicating FGM, describing it as a “harmful and outdated practice” with no medical justification.
“Primary healthcare workers have a vital role to play in driving behavioural change at the grassroots level,” Dr Olatunji said, urging participants to become active advocates in their communities.
The training aimed to equip health workers with the tools to identify, prevent, and respond to FGM and other forms of gender-based violence, including proper referral mechanisms for survivors.
Programme officer Mrs Bilikis Olawoyin delivered a detailed presentation on the definition, types, prevalence, causes, and consequences of FGM, noting that the practice — often wrongly referred to as female circumcision — has no health benefits and exposes girls and women to severe physical, psychological, and emotional harm. She also outlined the socio-cultural myths and pressures that sustain it.
Participants were trained on referral pathways to ensure survivors receive timely medical care, psychosocial support, and legal assistance.
To support community outreach, health educators were issued identification jackets, information and education materials, and reporting booklets.
The training concluded with a renewed call for frontline advocacy, with the Oyo State Primary Health Care Board vowing to maintain close collaboration with development partners and community leaders until FGM is totally abandoned across the state.
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