By John Dike, Osogbo
A member of the National Assembly Service Commission and former lawmaker, Hon. Taiwo Oluga, has raised serious concerns over the alarming rise in teenage and underage pregnancies in rural communities across Nigeria.
Speaking after a recent community engagement programme, she described the trend as a pressing public health and social crisis that demands immediate, coordinated intervention. She expressed deep worry that many girls—some as young as 13—are becoming mothers without access to proper healthcare, education, or family support.
“It is heartbreaking to witness young girls forced into adulthood far too early,” she said. “Teenage pregnancy not only threatens their health and wellbeing but also traps them in cycles of poverty, illiteracy, and social disadvantage.”
Oluga identified poverty, early marriage, lack of sex education, and weak family and community support structures as major drivers of the crisis, particularly in underserved rural areas. She stressed the need for urgent multi-stakeholder collaboration to protect vulnerable girls and reverse the disturbing trend.
She called on parents, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations, educators, and government agencies to strengthen awareness campaigns and implement community-based initiatives that promote girls’ education and wellbeing.
“Education remains the most powerful tool for change,” she stated. “A girl who stays in school is far less likely to become a teenage mother or child bride. No girl should be denied the right to learn and grow because of early pregnancy or forced marriage.”
Hon. Oluga also advocated for the integration of comprehensive reproductive health education into both formal and informal learning systems, especially in rural communities where information gaps are widest.
“We must break the silence and dismantle the stigma surrounding reproductive health,” she urged. “Our girls deserve accurate information, confidence, and support to make informed decisions about their bodies and their future.”
She further appealed to local governments and state ministries of health and education to partner with community-based organisations to provide free, youth-friendly health services, counselling, and menstrual hygiene resources.
According to her, the future of Nigeria depends on the empowerment and protection of its young girls. “We cannot afford to look away. Every girl saved from teenage pregnancy is a life, a dream, and a future preserved.”
