The Hon. Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Nasarawa state, Comrade Dogo Shammah said the state through its media institutions is ready to support organizations, individual or group whose shared vision is in line with the policy thrust of His Excellency Engr. A.A Sule the Executive Governor of Nasarawa state. Comrade Shammah revealed this when Development Communications Network (Devcoms) in collaboration with The Challenge Initiative (TCI) led by Nasarawa Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NAPHDA) paid him a courtesy call on Tuesday 13th October, 2020 in his office, on Media Advocacy for Childbirth Spacing otherwise known as Family Planning.
He said he will relate with the other sister stations in the state that are privately owned with a view to securing their support to devote a small portion of their air time to create the needed awareness that would educate the people on the benefits of having reasonable gap between each child bearing. Shammah averred that when people have correct and adequate information, they would make an informed decision, and family planning is not an exception as this would help reduce unplanned pregnancy which often leads to maternal and child mortality. He promised that a reasonable portion of airtime will be allocated to health programme on NBS Radio and TV where campaign on child spacing could also be hosted so as to give it the needed media visibility in and outside Nasarawa state trusting the wide coverage of the station; saying, portable and quality health care delivery is one of governor Sule’s topmost priorities.
Speaking earlier, the Director Social Mobilization, Nasarawa Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Mohammed Abdullahi Ibrahim who stood in for Dr. Usman Mohammed Adis –the Executive Chairman, NAPHDA, thanked the Hon. Commissioner for the honour to grant the team audience in spite of his tight schedule. Ibrahim said the state primary health care development agency is committed to support partners who share the vision of the state –particularly on primary health care system strengthening and efficient delivery of primary health care services which was why NAPHDA led the advocacy visit.He added that it is only a healthy society that can achieve the needed socio-economic and political value chain.
The Director said the media, besides its role of setting agenda, is a veritable tool for achieving social and behaviour change which informed the choice of the advocacy visit to relevant MDAs and media houses in Nasarawa state. “The campaign is to let people know that Childbirth Spacing or Family Planning as the case may be, is basically about the health of the mother, that of the child viz-a-viz having the number of children one can adequately take care of, and nothing more,” he explained.
While at Nasarawa Broadcasting Service (NBS) and Radio Nigeria (Precious FM) Lafia, the two General Managers, Barr.Yusuf Musa (NBS) and Alh. Musa Abdullahi (PFM) in their separate remarks, affirmed the support of their respective media organizations to devote a portion of airtime specifically for Family Planning programme or infuse it into the existing health programme as part of the organization’s responsibilities to provide the public with correct information on government programmes and policies as well as private organizations. However, they added that total or near absence of public power supply has remain a major concern to electronic media in the state, as they depend largely on gas to keep the stations running. Hence, the partners should once in a while support the stations financially to enable them keep up. The story is not different from the Head of Stations (HOSs) of Breeze FM LafiaTongyengBarde, Option FM Akwanga Boniface Abraham, and Maloney FM KeffiHabilaKutigah Yusuf (HOP) who sits in for the Head of Station.
Marcus Fatunmole who represented Development Communications Network, said the essence of the media advocacy visit was to secure the support of policy makers with a view to give childbirth spacing a huge media visibility even though the NGO does not have the financial capacity to sponsor all its activities. He revealed that the Media Advocacy Project for Family Planning is concurrently being implemented in five states of Anambra, Nasarawa, Taraba, Gombe and Edo.
