Isaac Adewole, a former Minister of Health, has called on Nigerians to be champions of family planning to demystify the myths and false beliefs around it.

Mr Adewole made the call in Abuja on Tuesday.

He identified misconceptions, orchestrated by suspicions of depopulation agendas, as one of the impediments to accessing family planning.

“One of the challenges of family planning is suspicion of the agenda to depopulate Africa.

“All these myths are not true. We need many Nigerians to be champions of family planning in order to make people accept it,” he said.

The former minister reiterated the need for Nigerians to embrace family planning, saying it “is key to a family’s economic stability.”

He dismissed the cultural beliefs impeding access to the service, calling on every household to accept it for a better living.

“We should stop viewing family planning with utmost suspicion based on myths and fears that are not real,” he said.

Nigeria’s fertility rate is 4.8 births per woman. 

(NAN)