Oluremi Tinubu child marriage campaign gains attention as First Lady urges action on girls’ education and maternal healthcare

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has called for urgent action to end child marriage, expand girls’ education and improve access to quality maternal healthcare across Nigeria.

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In a statement issued on Saturday to commemorate the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, observed annually under the auspices of the United Nations Population Fund, Oluremi Tinubu said no woman or girl should continue to suffer from a condition that is both preventable and treatable.

Reflecting on this year’s theme, “Her Health, Her Right: Shaping a Future without Fistula,” the First Lady stressed that access to quality maternal healthcare should be treated as a fundamental human right rather than a privilege.

The Oluremi Tinubu child marriage campaign message focused strongly on the dangers associated with early marriage and teenage pregnancy, which she identified as major causes of obstetric fistula.

According to her, many young girls are exposed to childbirth complications because their bodies are not fully developed for safe delivery.

Oluremi Tinubu also pointed to harmful traditional practices, poverty and poor awareness as factors limiting women’s access to skilled healthcare services and critical reproductive health information.

“We must act urgently to end child marriage, empower girls through education, and ensure every woman has access to quality healthcare,” she said.

She further urged governments, healthcare stakeholders and communities to work collectively towards safer childbirth and improved maternal outcomes.

“Let us work together to build a future where every birth is safe and no woman loses her life in childbirth,” the First Lady added.

Obstetric fistula is a severe childbirth injury involving an abnormal opening between the birth canal and the bladder or rectum, usually caused by prolonged obstructed labour without timely medical intervention.

The condition often results in chronic incontinence, severe emotional trauma and social isolation for affected women and girls.

According to UNFPA estimates, between 400,000 and 600,000 women in Nigeria are currently living with obstetric fistula, with about 20,000 new cases recorded annually.

Most cases are concentrated in the North-West and North-East regions, where child marriage, poverty and limited access to skilled birth attendants remain widespread.

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The Oluremi Tinubu child marriage campaign intervention comes amid ongoing national and international advocacy efforts aimed at improving maternal health services and protecting girls from harmful practices linked to early marriage and childbirth complications.