•Says education, quality healthcare key to protecting women and girls
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
The First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, has called for urgent and coordinated action to end child marriage, describing it as a major contributor to obstetric fistula and a threat to the health and future of women and girls.
The First Lady said efforts must be intensified to empower girls through education and ensure access to quality healthcare services, insisting that no woman should suffer from a condition that was preventable and treatable.
Mrs. Tinubu made the call in a message commemorating the 2026 International Day to End Obstetric Fistula.
“We must act urgently to end child marriage, empower girls through education, and ensure every woman has access to quality healthcare,” she said.
She noted that this year’s theme, “Her Health, Her Right: Shaping a Future without Fistula,” underscores the need to guarantee access to quality maternal healthcare as a fundamental right for all women.
The First Lady explained that early marriage and early pregnancy remained among the leading causes of obstetric fistula, particularly because many young girls were physically unprepared for childbirth.
According to her, harmful traditional practices and inadequate awareness further worsened the situation by limiting access to skilled healthcare and critical maternal health information.
Mrs. Tinubu stressed the need for governments, communities, and stakeholders to work together to eliminate barriers preventing women and girls from accessing healthcare services.
She reiterated that no woman or girl should be subjected to avoidable suffering resulting from complications associated with childbirth.
“On this International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, I join the global community to reaffirm that no woman or girl should suffer from a condition that is entirely preventable and treatable,” she stated.
The First Lady further urged collective efforts towards creating a future where every childbirth was safe and no woman would lose her life while giving birth.
“Let us work together to build a future where every birth is safe, and no woman loses her life in childbirth,” she added.
