The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on Friday handed over N60 million Family Planning (FP) commodities to the Sokoto State Government.
Receiving the items, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Faruk Abubakar-Wurmo, said the items were part of state government commitment toward improving reproductive health and other healthcare services in the state.
Abubakar-Wurmo explained that the Sokoto state government provided N30 million counterfund while UNFPA fulfilled its agreement on providing a similar amount in the family planning fund to procure the items.
He described the handover as a significant milestone in strengthening the family planning funding landscape in the state.
“It reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring sustainable access to quality and affordable family planning services.
”Our women should consider pregnancy by choice not for competition, the commodities will enhance child spacing, contribute to the healthy wellness of women and reduce maternal death.
”The initiative will contribute to family economic planning for meaningful state growth, improve mental health, overall healthy living among people and ensure the right pregnancy among women,” he said.
He added that adequate arrangements were made to ensure proper administration of the items, adding that health workers were trained on proper handling to women across the state.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Buhari Umar, assured adequate alignment, convergence and synergy to facilitate achieving the desired results in accordance with the ministry’s mandate.
Earlier, UNFPA State Team Lead, Dr Rabi’atu Sageer, said the consignment was from the 2025 budget line and urged the state government to also release the N150 million earmarked for family planning in 2026 budget.
Sageer commended the state government commitment and said in 2027 budget N1.2 billion was proposed for family planning commodities to align with Gov. Ahmad Aliyu’s slogan of 4+4 making eight times of the 2026 figures.
She said the items include all the needed items for child spacing, child delivery kits and others to encourage women to access the commodities.
The Chairman of Sokoto State Family Planning Advocacy Group, Dr Bala Gadanga, called on the government to hasten the release of N150 million earmarked in the 2026 budget and reassured maximum support to healthcare programmes.
The newsmen report the event was witnessed by the Director Pharmaceutical Services, Mr Habibu Muhammad, Executive Secretary State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Yari Sifawa, representative of federal ministry of health, Gates Foundation and others.