Stakeholders for the advancement of family planning (FP) in Nigeria have reiterated the need to use the family planning concept to regulate the explosive population growth in Nigeria.

The stakeholders said this in Abuja at the 5th Local Organising Committee (LOC) meeting of the 8th Nigeria Family Planning Conference (NFPC), which is scheduled to take place in  December.

The stakeholders comprised some civil society organisations (CSOs), government agencies and the media.

Okai Aku, a member of the LOC and the executive director of the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN), said that the conference was a biennial event.

Mr Aku said it would discuss modalities for promoting family planning concepts for the economic benefit of Nigerians.

According to him, the conference will be discussing so many things about family planning, ranging from policies to the remodelling of policies towards the concept.

“The population crisis is actually facing us now; we have to think of the best investment in terms of managing our population with the application of the concept of family planning or child spacing.

“We are not saying that people should stop giving birth,  but when you have a manageable population, you will know how to provide essential services.

“We will also be speaking to decision-makers as it relates to policies on family planning and also sensitising service providers on the need to provide quality services for the people, ” he said.

Mr Aku said that the stakeholders would also try to demystify misconceptions and myths about family planning.

”We will sensitise Nigerians to the need for everyone to embrace family planning and how it can be used for the planning and development of a country,” he said.

He said that the family planning concept could also alleviate poverty, assist in budget planning, and promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Mr Aku said that Nigeria would be better off investing in the family planning concept.

He said that Nigeria had committed itself to the promotion of family planning since the 2012 London summit, adding that there was a need for the country to meet up with its commitment.

The chairman of the LOC, Ejike Oji, said that the conference would look at government efforts through the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu to transform the healthcare sector.

Mr Oji said that the conference would also focus on happenings in the global arena as regards commitments made by Nigeria.

(NAN)