Prioritise Needs Of Nigerian Youth, UNICEF Urges Governments

 ·     Seeks Frequent Engagement With Young People On Issues That Concerns Them

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Dr Lu Wei Pearson, Associate Director of Maternal and Newborn Child Health at UNICEF with one of the health workers and others during the YAaHNaija community outreach organised by the Lagos State Agency for the Control of AIDS (LSACA) with support from UNICEF and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) in Tolu Community, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area, Lagos State on Tuesday, August 15, 2023.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has emphasised the significance of prioritising the needs of Nigeria's youth. These needs encompass mental health, peer pressure, inadequate parental support, as well as financial pressure problems.

Stressing this point, Dr Victoria Isiramen, a Health Specialist with UNICEF Nigeria also urged governments, parents and stakeholders to frequently engage the young people on topical issues that affect them, not only their reproductive health.

 Isiramen spoke during a two-day visit to some adolescent health programming centres supported by UNICEF in Lagos.

Our Reporter was in the team during the tour of centres including, Tolu Community in Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government, Hello Lagos Adolescent and Youth Friendly Centre at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

Others were the Iwaya Primary Health Centre Yaba, Lagos Mainland LGA and Atan Street Empire Agege Motor Road. 

“Sometimes when we sit down in conferences and talk about young people, what do they need? What should we do for them?.“Most of the time when we talk about young people, we usually refer to sexual reproductive health which is very important but it is not comprehensive enough.

“Mental health, peer pressure, poor parental supports, financial pressure for girls, and stressful environment among others also affect young people, going by what we have encountered with some of them we talked to.

“That is why these centres supported by UNICEF are helping to engage young people and give them information on health services," she added.

Dr Lu Wei Pearson, Associate Director of Maternal and Newborn Child Health at UNICEF during the visit to assess the adolescent health programming centre supported by UNICEF in Tolu Community, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area, Lagos State on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 

Earlier, Dr Lu Wei Pearson, Associate Director of Maternal and Newborn Child Health at UNICEF, urged governments at all levels in the country to prioritise human development to address some health challenges.

Pearson said, “Nigeria is a country full of resources, both mineral and human resources, but yet the country is far behind in human development.“Nigeria has one of the highest rates of child mortality, maternal mortality, malnutrition and other health issues.

Dr Lu Wei Pearson, Associate Director of Maternal and Newborn Child Health at UNICEF with one of the participants and others during the YAaHNaija community outreach organised by the Lagos State Agency for the Control of AIDS (LSACA) with support from UNICEF and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) on Tuesday in Tolu Community, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area, Lagos State.

“Young people and the social media influencers need to speak up to change the narrative and hold government at all levels accountable and health institutions.”

Similarly, Dr Ijeoma Agbo, a Health Specialist at UNICEF Nigeria, explained that the organisation’s visit to the Iwaya Health Centre in Yaba was to assess the services provided to children and women. 

Agbo stressed the need to establish functional PHCs across Wards to create more access to health services.“Primary health centres are very important because they are the starting point of health care at the grassroots and we are here to see what the government has been doing with the support from UNICEF.

“UNICEF has been at the forefront of advocating government to have functional PHCs in terms of services being provided.”

Dr Egemba Chinonso, a social media influencer popularly known as ‘Aproko Doctor’  said adolescents should be given a voice to air their concerns on health issues. Chinonso commended UNICEF for engaging young people through their programmes.

“This is a very good initiative from UNICEF to educate young people on topical health issues that would be of benefit to them.“From the cultural aspect, it looks like adolescents don’t have a voice but programmes like these give them the platform to talk about what affects them,” he said.

Contributing, Bamike Olawumi, a reality TV star popularly known as Bambam, said the visit had given young people the opportunity to be educated on general reproductive health and well-being. Olawumi advocated for more advocacy to proffer solutions to challenges that affect young people in the country.

According to her, the two-day visit to some adolescent health programming centres supported by UNICEF in Lagos is part of advocacy for improved welfare for young people which marked the 2023 National Conference on Adolescent Health.