The Nigeria Governors’ Spouses’ Forum (NGSF) has reaffirmed its commitment to the complete eradication of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Nigeria.

It decried the practice as a violation of fundamental human rights and a major public health and development concern.

The chairperson of the forum and the Kwara governor’s wife, Olufolake Abdulrazaq, made the assertion in a statement on Friday to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.

She said thousands of girls and women across the country, including in Kwara, were living with the lifelong physical and emotional consequences of FGM, while many more remained at risk.

According to Mrs Abdulrazaq, FGM leaves permanent scars on the body and mind of girls and negatively alters their life trajectory, compromising their health, dignity, and future potential.

“Ending the practice will result in safer pregnancies and childbirth, reduced maternal and newborn complications, and improved educational and economic outcomes for girls and women,” she said.

The governor’s wife emphasised that FGM was not cultural but an act of violence against girls who should have been protected rather than harmed.

“The issue goes beyond women’s rights; it is a national development challenge, a public health concern, and a human rights imperative that affects the well-being of families and communities,” she said.

She called on state and local governments, traditional rulers, religious leaders, parents, educators, health professionals, and community gatekeepers to take decisive action to end the harmful practice.

She urged stakeholders to move beyond awareness campaigns to accountability and concrete action, noting that harmful norms can be challenged and cycles of violence broken when leadership is united and intentional.

Mrs Abdulrazaq said the NGSF was advocating increased and sustained investment to eliminate FGM nationwide, stronger enforcement of laws prohibiting harmful practices, survivor-centred health, psychosocial and legal support, as well as community-led prevention and behaviour-change initiatives.

She observed that communities that protected girls built stronger families, more resilient societies, and healthier futures, adding that no girl should be left behind or made to suffer pain inflicted under the guise of culture.

According to her, the forum is calling on Nigerians to act with urgency, seeking collective resolve to become the generation that ends female genital mutilation in all its forms, under the campaign hashtag #Invest2EndFGM.

(NAN)