By Niyi Akande
The chairman of Christian Association of Nigerian, Osun State chapter, Rev. John Adeleke, has encouraged Christian leaders in the state to pay more attention to the health and wellness of their congratulation by encouraging them to embrace family planning.
Adeleke made the disclosure while receiving family planning advocacy team of the Osun State Government working in collaboration with The Challenge Initiative, who paid advocacy visit on the leadership of the Christian body in Osogbo, the Osun state capital.
Rev. Adeleke, who said Bible gave clear and specific instructions on the need to plan for family welfare by parents, commended the advocacy group for taking the campaign for family planning to churches.
The clergy further said, “I want to appreciate this advocacy group on Family planning. I want to say that the bible supports this, if you fail to plan your family, you will not be able to coordinate it.
“As pastors, we are doctors, we are counsellors. Different types of people come to us for counselling. Please let’s go back home and share this. It will lessen your burden as a minister of God if you have a better understanding of what you are supposed to do.
“If people that are under our leadership are ignorant of this, you will be put into fasting which you don’t need to. So may God help us.
“I want to say thank you very much for this. The Lord God of heaven will care for your family also. This is part of the service. The Lord will raise people to serve you also.”
Speaking earlier, Osun State Family Planning Coordinator from the Ministry of Health, Ololade Abatan, noted that issues around Family Planning are often discussed in hush tones in religious circles.
Abatan who called on Christian leaders to begin to discuss family planning with their congregation in a bid to have healthy households that would translate to a better society, said vast youthful populace should not be left alone in matters relating to family planning.
In February, 2024, Abatan, had said more women are taking up family planning methods in Osun state.
Abatan further said that due to the present economic situation in the country, more women were now embracing family planning facilities in the state with little mobilisation from the Ministry of Health.
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