Nigeria: Special Report - Before They Could Finish School, Nigeria's Health System Made Them Mothers
[Premium Times] This investigation found that adolescent girls who seek family planning in South-west Nigeria often encounter a health system that is inconsistent or inaccessible.
On a Thursday morning in March, a 17-year-old girl named Bisola sat outside her home in Agbowo, Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, strapped with her newborn baby. Bisola, once a high school student preparing for West African Senior School Certificate Examination, nearly died during childbirth two years ago. She was only 15 when she sought contraception from Agbowo Primary Health Centre, hoping to prevent another pregnancy.
However, she was turned away due to her parents' lack of knowledge and consent, prompting her to abandon her efforts. This investigation reveals that adolescent girls in South-West Nigeria face inconsistent or inaccessible health systems when seeking family planning services. Despite billions of naira allocated for primary healthcare over the past six years, family planning services remain unavailable in more than half of the primary healthcare centers in the region.
The Federal Government transferred N17.45 billion to Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo states between 2019 and the second quarter of 2025, yet only 1,491 out of 3,446 PHCs provide family planning services. These gaps persist despite national guidelines guaranteeing confidential reproductive healthcare. The investigation found that some facilities lack contraceptives, others experience prolonged supply delays, and some ask adolescent patients to return with parents despite the privacy they need.
Such failures, coupled with cultural taboos surrounding teenage pregnancy, leave many girls like Bisola with no choice but to become mothers, thus jeopardizing their education and future.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
