Minna: The Wife of the Niger Governor, Hajiya Fatima Bago, has commended the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN) for its contributions to improving healthcare delivery in the state. She acknowledged the impactful role of the organisation’s interventions in enhancing health outcomes for women and children across Niger State.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Bago expressed her appreciation during a courtesy visit by a PPFN delegation, led by Mr. Mohammed Muregi, the Regional Coordinator of the North Central Region Office of PPFN, in Minna. She highlighted the significance of PPFN’s presence in the state and several Local Government Areas, emphasizing its beneficial impact. Bago specifically praised PPFN’s efforts in family planning and cervical cancer screening through medical outreaches.
The governor’s wife assured the delegation of her readiness to collaborate with PPFN and mentioned her plans to engage relevant authorities to provide the necessary support to enhance the organisation’s outreach services. She urged PPFN to maintain close cooperation with the Niger State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and expressed her gratitude for being appointed as the Patron of the organisation in the North Central Region.
Earlier, Muregi stated that PPFN was prepared to strengthen its partnership with the Niger State Government to improve access to reproductive and primary healthcare services, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach communities. He explained that the organisation initially focused on family planning services but has since expanded its scope to include fully integrated healthcare services, such as cervical cancer screening and other medical tests at its static facilities.
Muregi noted that the purpose of the visit was to formally introduce PPFN to the governor’s wife and invite her to actively participate in the organisation. He added that PPFN’s programmes align with the New Niger Agenda of Bago. He revealed that PPFN provided over 20 million services across the North Central Region in 2025, including family planning, cervical cancer screening, and treatment of minor ailments.
He requested the governor’s wife’s consent to serve as the Patron of PPFN for the North Central Region, citing her commitment to women, children, and persons with disabilities. Muregi also proposed a partnership with her office to establish a ‘New Niger Safe Motherhood’ initiative aimed at improving maternal and child health outcomes in the state.