By Tunji Oyeleye
The stakeholders in Oja Agbe, Fiditi, Baba-ode( Akinmorin), Isale Alawe (Awe), Isale Osun and Okediji (Ilora) communities in Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo state have reached an official agreement on Saturday, December 7, 2024 to put a total end to female genital mutilation in their domains.
This was the major highlight of the grand-finale of consensus building with Oyo state government community leaders and law enforcement agencies in Afijio Local Government as regards war against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Speaking at Jobele Secretariat, the Headquarter of Afijio Local Government, venue of the programme, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Center for Comprehensive promotion of Reproductive Health, Mr Oluwole Emmanuel Yelotan, said the programme which had begun since few months ago was set up to ensure that the practice of female genital cutting is gotten rid of in the society.
Mr Yelotan, who stated that the programme of eradication of Female Genital Mutilation in the prominent communities in Afijio Local Government started with a stage of dialogue and sensitization, expressed satisfaction that the programme reached an agreement stage among the community stakeholders.
While lauding the leaders of the five communities in Afijio Local Government, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Center for Comprehensive promotion of Reproductive Health, however, reminded the community leaders that, it is now a criminal offence for anyone to engage in female genital mutilation in their domains.
According to him, female genital cutting now attracts six month imprisonment, saying both the parents who took their girl child for genital cutting and the person that helped them with the genital cutting would henceforth face the wrath of justice, as stipulated in the laws of Oyo state.
Also speaking, one the facilitators of the programme and a member of Peace Wonderful Women of Impact International, Pastor Christianah Omonike Aderibigbe, thanked the stakeholders of communities in Afijio Local Government for their cooperation to ensure the success of the programme.
Mrs Aderibigbe noted that as signposts signifying an end to Female Genital Mutilation have been mounted in all the areas in Afijio Local Government of Oyo state, there is no more excuse for cutting girl child genitals in the Local Government.
In her reactions at the event, the Sexual and Reproductive Health Officer/FGM Coordinator, Oyo state Primary Health Care Board, Mrs Bilikisu Olawoyin appreciated the community leaders’ perseverance during the programme.
Mrs Olawoyin also urged them to comply with the agreement reached on exterminating Female Genital Mutilation, saying Afijio Local Government should lead by example in Oyo state and Nigeria as a whole in putting an end to cutting the genitals of a girl child.
While thanking the Oyo state government and their co-organizers of the programme, the community leaders, among whom were; Chief Bamiji Faremi, the Otun Oniware of Iwareland and Chief Mrs Rachael Adefunmike, the Iyalode of Fiditiland, described the programme as an eye-opening event.
They also promised to go and disclose what they learnt during the programme to the people in their communities by educating them on the dangers of Female Genital Mutilation.
Parts of the highlights of the event were; issuance of certificates on eradication of Female Genital Mutilation to community leaders and community leaders’ signing of agreement with security agencies to wage war against Female genital cutting.
At the event to witness the epoch-making programme organized by Peace Wonderful Women of Impact International in collaboration with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Oyo State Government as well as Center for Comprehensive Promotion of Reproductive Health were; health officials, security operatives and pressmen.