Posted on: Mon 21-06-2021

Alleged inability of spouses to discuss the size of family they intend to raise has been identified as  major factor limiting family planning to the background in Taraba state.  

The leadership of The Challenge Initiative  (TCI) , who made the above observation also identified absence of personal advocacy and self efficacy as factors also hindering the massive acceptance of the services.  

Frowning at the development during a joint meeting between Media advocate on FP and the Social Behavioural Change Communications (SBCC) , on how to develop messages on adolescent and youth sexual reproductive health/ FP, the media,  as suggested by them, should work tirelessly round the clock to develop messages that would increase access to FP services.  

The demand creation Officer of the organization,  Victoria Mohammed,  who took the participants who converged at the conference hall of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) down the memory lane on the various surveys so far carried out on FP, urged the media not to go to bed pending massive increased in the services.

In doing this,  the message to be developed on FP, according to her, can "only be effective if it addresses only a single problem. "

More to that,  the message,  she said , must as well be consistent and relevant for all channels stating that "it should be a statement of the ultimate and lasting impression that the audience will take away. "

Victoria who also beckoned at the media to ensure that relevant key messages are use to drive home the importance of FP,

service providers, community mobilizes and other actors reinforce the same key message points , if properly fashioned out, she believed that the much needed results would be achieved stating that "if we can address these, we will be able to make people embrace FP in Taraba. "

Stressing on the need to also factor out secondary audience while developing messages for primary audience, using the media to reach out to the beneficiaries, she believed has become necessary.  

Pleading with the media to always endeavour to identify their audience before developing FP messages, carrying the audience a long irrespective of background,  would woo the people to accept fp , she said.  

Participants whom our correspondent observed were drawn from both the print and electronic media as well as social media,  all agreed to tread extra legitimate miles to address some of the aforementioned factors hindering the processes.  

Earlier,  the State Programme Coordinator of the TCI,  Dr. Othma Sarki,  who held that media can help in changing the negative perceptions of the people towards family planning,  reiterated the desire of the organization not to ceased from partnering with the members of the fourth estate of the realm in the state.  

By Charles Akpeji  

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