Across several Nigerian states, FGM is still widely practised despite the health hazards being well publicised and former president Dr Goodluck Jonathan passing a law banning it. Speaking yesterday at the opening of a meeting on the subject organised by United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) and Shericare Foundation (Scarf) organised in Oshogbo, the Osun State capital, Governor Aregbesola described FGM as borne out of the primitive idea to continually dominate females in society.
While commending Dr Jonathan for signing the law that prohibited the act in Nigeria, Governor Aregbesola held that it must not go unnoticed that FGM was made illegal under his watch. Governor Aregbesola averred that government at all levels must ensure that they work towards the eradication of the act which has no advantage whatsoever.
Earlier, his wife, Sherifat Aregbesola, who is also the president of Scarf, also described FGM as primitive. She added that it is disturbing that the primitive practice is prevalent in Osun State, saying all hands will be on deck at ensuring that the archaic practice is eradicated very soon.
Mrs Aregbesola chided the procedure of FGM which involves partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, noting that the procedures intentionally alter and cause injury to the female genital organ. She added that a recent survey conducted by United Nation Fund for Population Activities revealed a prevalence of 27% for women ages 15 to 49 and 19.2% for girls aged 0 to 14 years.
According to Mrs Aregbesola, if the present trends continue, 2.7m girls born between 2010 and 2015 will be at risk of experiencing FGM by 2030. She thanked all those who attended the meeting for honouring the call and praised their collective drive to eradicate a practice that bears no good for girls and women.
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