The Wife of the Sokoto State Governor, Fatima Aliyu, has pledged to facilitate the timely release of the N150 million counterpart funding allocated to Family Planning activities in the state’s 2026 budget.
Mrs Aliyu made the commitment when the Family Planning Financing Tracker and Advocacy Group, led by the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, State Team Lead, Dr Rabi’atu Sageer, visited her on Thursday in Sokoto.
She assured the delegation that she would engage the state governor on the need for the timely release of the funds to support UNFPA interventions in the state.
“I will join the advocacy to the state governor for the timely release of the funds as allocated in the budget,” she said.
Mrs Aliyu further assured the team of her continued support and collaboration, stressing that she would remain committed to initiatives aimed at improving the well-being of women and children in the state.
“My door is always open to the UNFPA and the team in order to achieve rightful objectives in the state,” she added.
Earlier, Mrs Sageer commended the Governor’s wife for her support for UNFPA programmes, particularly initiatives focused on family planning, maternal health, gender violence, children and vulnerable groups.
She described Sokoto as one of the states playing a leading role in supporting UNFPA on Family Planning and other healthcare interventions, as well as other sector interventions across the country.
“We work with Governors’ wives in the country, but I can assure you that you are one of the First Ladies we are proud of at UNFPA due to your support for our initiatives with respect to children and issues affecting our children,” Sageer said.
She recalled that Sokoto state government had contributed N30 million as counterpart funding last year, noting the role played by the First Lady in ensuring that the money was released on time.
She explained that the funds were used to procure family planning commodities across the state, noting that when doubled, as requested, it would further cover more women in recognition of the present population in the state.
Mrs Sageer, therefore, appealed to the Governor’s wife to once again intervene for the release of the N150 million counterpart funding earmarked in the 2026 budget, adding that UNFPA plans to scale up its interventions in the state significantly next year.
She added that the organisation is targeting eight times more funding in subsequent years to increase the level of support, while expressing confidence in the continued commitment of the state government to its partnership with UNFPA.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that group members included state government officials from line ministries and agencies, civil society organisations, representatives of UNFPA, the Bill Gates Foundation, the Dangote Foundation and other partners, as well as media professionals.
NAN
