By Ireti Asemota.
UNFPA dropped hard truths at the 66th National Council on Health in Calabar: Nigeria loses a mother every 7 minutes — 20,811 maternal, neonatal & under-5 deaths Jan–Sep 2025 alone.
Top killers: Maternal → complications, CVD, malaria, sepsis, anaemia Neonatal/U5 → diarrhoea, pneumonia, malnutrition, sepsis, meningitis
Key stats that should shock us awake:
- MMR: 500–999 per 100,000 live births (very high globally)
- Adolescent fertility: 106 births per 1,000 girls 15–19
- Child marriage: 24 million girls married before 18
- Modern contraceptive use: only 15%
- Unmet need for family planning: 21%
UNFPA’s Lordfred Achu: “Medical fixes alone won’t cut it. We need political will, money, and real socio-cultural change.”
Fixes they’re begging for:
- Enforce girl-child education
- Give women autonomy over their bodies
- Involve men, imams, pastors, traditional rulers
- Fund health workers & facilities properly
- Close the 21% family-planning gap
Bottom line: Nigeria, India, DRC & Pakistan = nearly 50% of global maternal deaths.
This isn’t just healthcare. It’s justice.
Will 2026 finally be the year we stop burying our mothers and babies? Share your take. #EndMaternalDeaths #MyHealthMyRight #NigeriaMustChange
