The Wife of the Niger State governor, Fatima Bago, has commended a non-governmental organisation, Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, for its contributions to improving healthcare delivery in the state.

She said the organisation’s interventions had been particularly impactful in improving health outcomes for women and children across Niger State.

She gave the commendation while receiving a delegation of the organisation on a courtesy visit led by the Regional Coordinator, North Central Region Office of PPFN, Mohammed Muregi, in Minna.

Mrs Bago expressed delight over the organisation’s presence in the state and some Local Government Areas, noting that its interventions had been impactful.

“I commend what PPFN is doing for women and children, especially in family planning and cervical cancer screening through medical outreaches,” she said.

The governor’s wife assured the delegation of her willingness to collaborate with PPFN, adding that she would engage relevant authorities to provide the organisation with the necessary support to enhance its outreach services.

She urged PPFN to continue working closely with the Niger State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and expressed appreciation for her appointment as patron of the organisation in the North Central Region.

Earlier, Mr Muregi said PPFN was ready to deepen its partnership with the Niger State Government to improve access to reproductive and primary healthcare services, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach communities.

He explained that the organisation initially focused on family planning services but later expanded to fully integrated healthcare services, including cervical cancer screening and other medical tests at its static facilities.

“On a monthly basis, we organise medical outreaches to serve underserved communities, in collaboration with state governments,” he said.

Mr Muregi noted that the visit was to formally introduce PPFN to the governor’s wife and invite her to actively participate in the organisation, adding that its programmes aligned with the New Niger Agenda of Mr Bago.

He noted that PPFN provided more than 20 million services across the North Central Region in 2025, covering family planning, cervical cancer screening and treatment of minor ailments.

He requested the consent of the governor’s wife to serve as patron of PPFN for the North Central region, citing her demonstrated commitment to women, children and persons with disabilities.

Mr Muregi also proposed a partnership with her office to establish a “New Niger Safe Motherhood” initiative aimed at improving maternal and child health outcomes in the state.

He added that PPFN was licensed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to conduct reproductive health training for nurses, doctors and midwives.

(NAN)