Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun has commended the initiative of
former president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, on Female Genital
Mutilation (FGM) and has called on government at all levels to work
towards its total eradication in the country.
The governor
commended former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan for signing the
Act prohibiting female genital mutilation in Nigeria.
Aregbesola
who graced a forum on Female Genital Mutilation organised by United
Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), in collaboration with
Shericare Foundation in Osogbo on Tuesday described the act as
“primitive”.
According
to Aregbesola, female genital mutilation is a bad practice borne out of
primitive idea to continually dominate females in the society which
must be stopped by all Nigerians.
“Everybody must work hard to
ensure that the practice is done away with. Besides the damage it has
done to women, it has created health challenges like acute urinary
retention, delivery complications, among others.
“We have not
established any scientific advantage let alone any religion supporting
the practise. It is just an inhuman design to suppress the other sex.”
Sherifat, wife of the governor and President of Shericare Foundation, described female genital mutilation as primitive.
She
said that if the practice continued, 2, 718, 000 girls born between
2010 and 2015 would be at risk of experiencing female genital mutilation
by 2030.
Country Representative of UNFPA, Ms Ratidzai Ndhlovu,
charged Osun Government to work and ensure the eradication of the
practice.
She stressed that Osun had the highest prevalence rate of 7.6 per cent, followed by Oyo state with 7.2per cent.
The
UNFPA boss added that it was important for the wives of governors in
the country and other stakeholders to ensure strict compliance with the
existing law on female genital mutilation.
NAN reports that wife
of Oyo State Governor, Florence Ajimobi, wife of Governor of Ekiti
State, Feyi Fayose, representatives of wives of the Governors of Lagos,
Imo and Ebonyi, were among dignitaries at the event.
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