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Osun State monarch, lawmaker, others preach against teenage pregnancy

By Moyosore Salami, Ibadan
15 August 2022   |   3:46 am
The Alapomu of Apomuland, Oba Kayode Adenekan Afolabi, Atoyebi II, and his wife, Janet, have urged parents and stakeholders to discourage teenage pregnancy by engaging younger girls....

Teenage pregnancy PHOTO: Reuters

The Alapomu of Apomuland, Oba Kayode Adenekan Afolabi, Atoyebi II, and his wife, Janet, have urged parents and stakeholders to discourage teenage pregnancy by engaging younger girls to avoid pre-marital sex, undue craze for money and prostitution.

The duo, who spoke, at the weekend, at a programme tagged: “Initiative to stop teenage pregnancy,” organised by the Olori in the Alapomu palace, Osun State, advised children of school age to shun teenage pregnancy because of the dire consequences associated with it.

Olori Afolabi said teenage pregnancy had become very rampant, thereby impacting negatively on educational development in Osun State and across the nation.

She said: “This campaign is to sensitise teenagers about the dangers inherent in early pregnancies and abortions, especially among younger girls of school age. It is saddening that thousands of pupils have either lost their lives or damaged their vital organs in the process of attempting to terminate unwanted pregnancies.

“This initiative aimed at curbing the negligence of several parents and guardians, who do not see anything wrong in the negative lifestyles of their wards. It is painful that some of these parents don’t even see any issue in what their teenage girls are doing in terms of pre-marital sex. When such girls give birth, their parents celebrate with them. Parents should begin to encourage their children to take education seriously instead of rushing into early marriage.”

Oba Afolabi said parents should start early to educate their children on sex and the danger inherent in it.
ALSO, the Otun Iyalode of Apomuland, Christiana Adelabu, encouraged younger ladies to face their education and do away with men. She said if they are not interested in education, they should learn a skill that will give them self-esteem and self- discipline.

In the same vein, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the House of Representatives, Olusola Arababi, said one of the challenges in his constituency is teenage pregnancy.

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