Jacob Adebayo
The National Orientation Agency has ranked Ebony State among the states that lead with Female Genital Mutilations in Nigeria.
The ranking according to the organization, was considered between 20017 and 2019.
According to NOA, within the period, no fewer than 75% of residents of the state, engaged in the obnoxious practice, saying that, “But with the level of awareness” being carried out by the Agency and the United Nations Children’s Fund, the situation climbed down to 50%, in 2020.
The Ebonyi State Director of NOA, Dr Emmanuel Abah, during a training, END-FGM community champions in five communities of the Council, held in conjunction with UNICEF in the state, said there was an urgent need to balance culture and modernisation in order to tackle some of the harmful and traditional factors reinforcing the practice of FGM across the state.
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He added that the ugly trend must be nipped in the bud to save the future of the state’s unborn generations.
Abah, who listed some of the factors engendering the obvious practice to include fear, traditional myths, silence, ignorance and lack of information, said about 25 persons drawn from five communities of the Ishielu LGA, participated in the training.
“Today, 25 persons from five communities of Iyiulo, Ezzagu, Ezillo, Nkalagu and Ezekuna in Ishielu LGA, will be trained as END-FGM Champions.
“In the course of your work after this training, you must see the need to balance culture and modernisation, so that you tackle some of the factors that breed FGM in our communities.
“As you are being trained today, don’t allow political influence to becloud your thinking. It is important you help end FGM on the girl
“Be good Ambassadors of FGM-free society and help save a crisis that is capable of crippling an entire generation, in future.
“Between 2017 and 2019, Ebonyi came third on Female Genital Mutilation, across the country. And within the period, about 75% of the population engaged in the FGM practice, although it is segmented.
“But the situation has come down now, to 50%, because of the level of awareness we are carrying out with UNICEF.”