Community leaders, traditional rulers and security agencies in Oyo East Local Government Area of Oyo State have reached a consensus to enforce existing laws against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in their communities.
The resolution was reached in Kosobo, Oyo Town, during a consensus-building meeting organised by the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Oyo State Government and the Centre for Comprehensive Promotion of Reproductive Health (CCPRH).
Speaking at the meeting, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of CCPRH, Mr Emmanuel Yelotan, explained that the engagement formed part of a structured process aimed at eradicating FGM in Oyo State by 2030.
He said the consensus-building meeting would be followed by a public declaration of abandonment of FGM, during which communities would openly renounce the practice and signposts would be erected to signal compliance and sustained commitment.
Mr Yelotan emphasised that FGM poses serious sexual, reproductive and mental health risks, including complications during childbirth, excessive bleeding, clitoral neuroma, depression and long-term psychological trauma.
Citing findings from the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), he noted that the prevalence of FGM in Oyo State stood at 31.1 per cent in 2018, but sustained interventions between 2023 and 2024 have contributed to a significant reduction to 18 per cent.
He attributed the progress recorded to coordinated interventions, including the training of over 350 health workers on FGM-related issues and the engagement of about 150 healthcare facilities now reporting cases to relevant authorities.
Mr Yelotan also disclosed that traditional circumcisers, also known as natural circumcisers, have been trained and supported through targeted interventions to discourage continued involvement in the practice.
Also speaking, the Oyo State Amirah of FOMWAN, Dr Lateefat Dairo, said the organisation’s extensive grassroots network has helped to dispel myths surrounding FGM and deepen public understanding of its harmful consequences.
Dr Dairo expressed optimism that the resolutions reached at the meeting would significantly contribute to achieving zero prevalence of FGM in Oyo State by 2030.
Some participants at the meeting, including the Alajagba of Ajagba, Oba Olusegun Ogunrinde, the Imam of Imeleke Central Mosque, Mr Sulaiman Oyekanbi, representatives of security agencies and other community leaders, admitted that the engagement had enlightened them and corrected long-held misconceptions about the practice.
At the end of the meeting, participants who were sensitised on the health, social and legal implications of FGM, as well as existing laws prohibiting the practice, signed a binding agreement committing traditional rulers and community leaders to allow any offender arrested for practising FGM to be prosecuted without interference.
