Close Menu
The North JournalsThe North Journals

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Ukah Makes History as PFL Africa Debuts with Thrilling Fights in Cape Town

    July 19, 2025

    Beyond Limit Football Academy Clinches Gothia Cup 2025 B17E Title After Penalty Shootout Triumph

    July 19, 2025

    Cameroon’s Protected Areas Offer Hope for Africa’s Nature and People, But Face Mounting Threats

    July 19, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • ABOUT US
    • WORK WITH US
    • CONTACT US
    Sunday, July 20
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    The North JournalsThe North Journals
    • Home
    • Newsbeat
      • Agriculture
      • Art/Life
      • Business
      • Economy
      • Education
      • Entertainment
      • Health
      • Judiciary
      • News
      • Technology
      • Travel
      • Foreign
    • Editorial
    • Opinion
      • Diaries
    • Travelogue
    • Journals
      • Engineering
      • History
      • Law
      • Medicine
      • Politics
      • Research
      • Science
      • Climate Change
      • Psychology
      • Sociology
    • Documentaries
    • Guest Post
    The North JournalsThe North Journals
    Home » Funding Gaps Fuel Teenage Pregnancy Crisis in Nigeria
    Opinion

    Funding Gaps Fuel Teenage Pregnancy Crisis in Nigeria

    Experts urge government to invest in education and youth health services to curb rising adolescent pregnancies
    Atoyebi AdenikeBy Atoyebi AdenikeJuly 15, 2025No Comments4 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Experts urge government to invest in education and youth health services to curb rising adolescent pregnancies
    Experts urge government to invest in education and youth health services to curb rising adolescent pregnancies
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    By Atoyebi Nike

    Teenage pregnancy is more than just a health issue; it is a national emergency that threatens Nigeria’s development, gender equity, education system, and healthcare resources. For a country already grappling with high maternal mortality rates, a struggling economy, and a youthful population, ignoring the growing incidence of teenage pregnancies is like sitting on a ticking time bomb. The irony is that this is a crisis we can prevent if only we fund it like one.

    The Fire We Keep Ignoring

    In Nigeria, teenage pregnancy rates remain alarmingly high. According to the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), one in five adolescent girls aged 15–19 has begun childbearing. These figures may be even higher today, especially in rural and conflict-affected areas where access to education and healthcare is limited. Unfortunately, these pregnancies often come with life-threatening consequences: unsafe abortions, obstructed labor, school dropouts, and increased vulnerability to poverty and gender-based violence.

    This is not just about morality or behavior, it is about systems failing young people. It is about poor investment in education, lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services, weak social support structures, and the continued cultural silence around adolescent sexuality. Without serious and sustained intervention, we are not just failing our girls; we are setting entire communities on fire.

    What Better Funding Can Do

    There’s no mystery about what works to prevent teenage pregnancies. Countries that have succeeded in reducing adolescent pregnancy rates have three things in common: comprehensive sexuality education, youth-friendly health services, and economic empowerment initiatives. Nigeria needs to take a cue and commit to funding these pillars properly, beyond token budgets and donor-driven short-term projects.

    1. Fund Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE):
      Nigeria has flirted with the idea of sexuality education for decades, yet implementation remains patchy and controversial. Better funding would allow for curriculum development, teacher training, and safe classroom environments where students can learn about consent, contraception, menstrual hygiene, and relationships. This education must go beyond biology, it must be about agency, respect, and informed choices.
    2. Scale Youth-Friendly Reproductive Health Services:
      Many teenage girls do not seek help when they are sexually active or pregnant due to stigma, cost, or distance. Community health centers are often not equipped to support adolescent-specific needs. With better funding, we can establish and equip youth-friendly clinics, deploy trained counselors, and ensure free or subsidized contraceptives and maternal care services.
    3. Support Girls to Stay in School:
      The relationship between education and delayed childbearing is well-documented. A girl who stays in school is more likely to delay marriage and pregnancy. Investments in girl-child education school feeding, transport, tuition waivers, menstrual products are long-term investments in national development. We must also tackle the socio-economic triggers like child marriage, poverty, and gender-based violence—that push girls out of school and into early motherhood.
    4. Economic Empowerment and Life Skills Training:
      Many teenage pregnancies are driven by transactional sex, especially in communities where girls lack economic options. Better funding can support vocational training, mentorship, and digital skills programs for adolescent girls. When girls have access to income-generating skills, they are more likely to make empowered life decisions.
    See also  Zamfara Disburses ₦322m to Boost Girls’ Education, Launches Community Fund

    We Cannot Keep Patching a Burning Roof

    Policymakers often respond to teenage pregnancy with punitive or moralistic rhetoric, blaming girls or their families. But this blame game does nothing to address the systemic failures that lead to early pregnancy in the first place. It’s like patching a burning roof with tape we need to fund the fire service, not the mop.

    Budgets at federal and state levels must reflect the urgency of the crisis. This includes allocating funds not just to health and education ministries but also to gender affairs, youth development, and community outreach. Development partners and private sector actors must also align funding efforts with evidence-based strategies that prioritize adolescent well-being, not just optics.

    A National Conversation and Commitment

    Preventing teenage pregnancy requires more than money it also requires political will and community engagement. Traditional and religious leaders must be part of the conversation, not barriers to it. Parents must be empowered to talk openly to their children about sexuality. Youth voices must be at the center of policy design and implementation.

    But money matters. Without consistent funding, all the awareness campaigns and pilot projects in the world will fizzle out, leaving behind the same cycle of broken futures and lost potential.

    Conclusion

    Teenage pregnancy is both a symptom and a driver of inequality. Left unaddressed, it threatens Nigeria’s development, healthcare systems, and economic productivity. But it is preventable if we choose to fund prevention as a priority. This is not just about helping girls avoid pregnancy; it is about giving them a fair shot at life.

    See also  Bauchi in Focus: The Imperative of Continuity (1)

    We must act like our future depends on it because it does.

     

    adolescent health education funding gender equality girl-child education Maternal Health Nigeria youth sexual health teenage pregnancy
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Atoyebi Adenike
    • Website

    Related Posts

    Zamfara Disburses ₦322m to Boost Girls’ Education, Launches Community Fund

    July 17, 2025

    Sowore’s Mockery at Buhari’s Passing Is a Disservice to Our Shared Humanity

    July 14, 2025

    Devastating Floods Shrink Nigeria’s Arable Land, Cripple Food Security and Economic Output

    July 10, 2025
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Our Picks
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss

    Ukah Makes History as PFL Africa Debuts with Thrilling Fights in Cape Town

    Sports July 19, 2025

    By Atoyebi Nike Nigerian fighter Ukah extended her perfect record to 7-0 with a dominant…

    Beyond Limit Football Academy Clinches Gothia Cup 2025 B17E Title After Penalty Shootout Triumph

    July 19, 2025

    Cameroon’s Protected Areas Offer Hope for Africa’s Nature and People, But Face Mounting Threats

    July 19, 2025

    FIFA Licensed Agent Jeremiah Ogaga Ayejegare Optimistic About the Future of Nigerian and African Football

    July 19, 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from SmartMag about art & design.

    About Us
    About Us

    The North Journals stands as a beacon of clarity, credibility, and intellectual rigor. As a dynamic and forward-thinking media organization, we seamlessly integrate real-time news updates with in-depth journalistic insights, ensuring our audience remains well-informed on global and local issues.

    Address: Abuja, Nigeria
    Email Us: info@thenorthjournals.com

    Our Picks
    New Comments
    • Isowo Peres on Crystal Palace Lifts First FA Cup in Historic Win
    • ‘Every village has a story’: the Ghanaian journalist walking thousands of miles to give voice to farmers and forgotten communities - Ecomedia Africa on ‘Every village has a story’: the Ghanaian journalist walking thousands of miles to give voice to farmers and forgotten communities
    • Home
    • Travel
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Buy Now
    © 2025 The North Journals. Designed by AkinMore.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Ad Blocker Enabled!
    Ad Blocker Enabled!
    Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please support us by disabling your Ad Blocker.