•As Communities Sign Abandonment Pact
Traditional rulers in Odo-Otin and Ilesa West Local Government Areas of Osun State, officials of the Osun State Government, and the wife of the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly have joined voices to denounce Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), describing the practice as harmful, dishonourable and punishable under the law.
The stakeholders made their position known during the public declaration ceremonies on the abandonment of FGM organised by Action Health Incorporated (AHI) with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), held on Wednesday and Thursday in Odo-Otin and Ilesa West.
Twelve communities in the two local government areas had earlier received sensitisation on the dangers of female circumcision through community-based organisations.
At the ceremonies, residents publicly rejected the practice and pledged never to engage in or support it.
Speaking at the public declaration in Okuku on Wednesday, the Oloyan of Oyan, Oba Kilani Adekeye, represented by Chief Adewale Adetunji, declared that the communities would no longer tolerate FGM.
The monarch praised UNFPA and AHI for the initiative and promised to ensure residents fully understand the risks associated with the practice.
“It was part of our culture as Africans to circumcise our female children, but it comes with a lot of dangers. That is why we are now saying that in our community we do not encourage Female Genital Mutilation, and we will not allow anyone to engage in it.
“We are grateful to organisations for this sensitisation. By the grace of God, we will ensure that all we have heard here is put into practice. Anyone caught engaging in FGM will be arrested and will face the law,” Oba Adekeye stated.
Also addressing the gathering, the Alasaba of Asaba, Oba Ezekiel Oyewusi, noted that his community banned the practice as far back as 1969.
The traditional ruler said, “In my community, we forbade female circumcision in 1969 when our fathers resolved that Female Genital Mutilation is not good.
“We are very happy about this kind of sensitisation because it is dishonourable to circumcise our female children. Reports have shown that female children who were circumcised did not enjoy intimacy with their partners, unlike today when the absence of circumcision is contributing to happier marriages.”
The wife of the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mrs Monsurat Egbedun, emphasised the need to take the campaign against FGM to every community.
She affirmed her husband’s commitment to ending the practice across the state.
“We must ensure we preach against the dangers of FGM in our communities. I want to tell you that my husband, as the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, is ready to support any initiative that will bring an end to female circumcision in the state,” she said.
The representative of the Osun State Government, Mrs Tolulope Agboire of the Ministry of Health, who spoke in Okuku and Ilesa, urged the communities to unite in eliminating the practice.
Agboire stressed that female circumcision is not a solution to promiscuity and instead causes significant short- and long-term harm to women’s bodies.
“The state government is urging all communities in Odo-Otin Local Government to join hands in the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation in Osun State.
“Female circumcision is not an antidote to promiscuity. In fact, it causes more damage to a woman’s body in the short and long term. FGM is a harmful practice that damages the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The short- and long-term effects are huge and may sometimes lead to death,” she said.
Mrs Agboire described FGM as a cultural misconception that requires deliberate change and called on key stakeholders to become advocates for its eradication.
She reminded participants of the legal consequences under the Osun State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, which “stipulates that performing FGM or engaging another person to perform it carries a penalty of imprisonment not exceeding four years or a fine not exceeding ₦200,000, or both.”
She urged residents to report any suspected cases to security agencies, which she said have pledged their support toward ending the practice in the state.
In her remarks, the Programme Officer, Action Health Incorporated, Omolola Adegbite, restated the organisation’s commitment to achieving zero cases of FGM in Osun State.
“We are here to sensitise people on the dangers of female circumcision. As an organisation, we aim to ensure that there is no single case of Female Genital Mutilation in the entire Osun State,” she said.
Adegbite explained that the initiative reflects the joint commitment of UNFPA and AHI to protecting the rights, health and dignity of women and girls while supporting community-driven efforts to eliminate harmful traditional practices.
