Change the narrative with your stories : TCI charges journalists

Family planning experts have raised concerns about population explosion and Nigeria’s economy, saying an overburdened family size takes its toll on the wellbeing of the family, society, and infrastructure.

They expressed dismay that despite increased efforts to encourage the use of modern contraceptives, ignorance, low awareness, negative cultural beliefs, religious disinformation, misinformation, myths, and misconceptions have continued to hamper the success of the programme.

These and many other family planning issues took centre stage as journalists deliberated on how to drive the messages home to crave the demand for FP commodities.

The State Programme Manager, the Challenge Initiative, TCI, Lagos, Doctor Omotunde Odanye, while speaking to the Lagos State Project on “Operating a Business Unusual Model,” said that the Lagos Intensification Phase, ending in December 2025, would focus on commodity security, demand generation, data management, postpartum FP, and private sector engagement, adding that “it will also expand 33 additional public and 50 private health facilities.”.

Its Demand Generation and Technical Support Lead, Adesola Fanimokun, urged the media to drive FP messages for wide coverage, which is the most powerful tool for advancing demand generation.

In her remarks, the Reproductive Health Coordinator, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Doctor Victoria Omoera, represented by the State FP Manager, Doctor Latifatu Adeleye, decried the challenges to FP services in the state, including commodity insecurity, late or no release of allocation, dearth of human resources, and data.

“Identifying low male involvement, women’s empowerment, and the African patriarchal society as another set of challenges militating against the drive for the demand for FP commodities, she expressed the hope that “the media will do more to support the uptake of services,” she stated.

Earlier, the Programme Director, DeVCOMS, Akin Jimoh, who expressed dismay at the low level of awareness and the poor outcomes of the uptake, urged the media to “identify ways of changing the narratives through well-thought-out, good human interest stories that would lead to taking action.” 

The high point of the workshop was the field trip to the Akerele Primary Health Centre, Surulere, where users expressed satisfaction with the services rendered and the attitude of service providers.

The Media Capacity Building and Editorial Workshop on FP Intensification, for stakeholders in Lagos, was put together by The Challenge Initiative, TCI, and the Development Communications Network (DEVCOMS).