STAKEHOLDERS in Ondo State have expressed concerns over what they described as the troubling “medicalisation” of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) within health facilities in the state.
 The stakeholders lamented that some medical professionals who should be at the forefront of opposing FGM were instead facilitating its continued practice, saying that some health practitioners now perform the harmful procedure under the guise of legitimate medical practice.
 
The alarm was raised during the first-quarter 2026 meeting of the Ondo State Technical Committee on ending FGM, convened in Akure by the Balm in Gilead Foundation (BIGIF) for Sustainable Development, with support from the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), which brought together health officials, government representatives, and development partners.
 Director of Family Health at the Ondo State Ministry of Health, Isaac Aladeniyi, who chaired the stakeholders’ meeting, stated that the state government is poised to take decisive action against the practice across all healthcare facilities, including privately owned ones.
 Aladeniyi emphasised that FGM is already prohibited under federal law, making it illegal in Ondo State, and that the forthcoming measures would reinforce existing legislation.
 
He said, “The medicalisation of FGM is really growing within facilities, and of course, when you medicalise it, it means that you are trying to justify reasons why you are practising it, especially when the medical people who are supposed to oppose it are now practising it.
 “Within the premises of the public facilities, we are going to issue a circular that will be signed by the Commissioner for Health, and it will be circulated to all facilities in the state to ensure that the practice is prohibited.”
 Programme Manager of the Foundation, Nelson Akerele, harped on the importance of community engagement, education, and advocacy to eliminate the harmful practice, particularly in rural areas where it remains widespread.
 
Akerele also showcased the recent initiatives of the Foundation, including the training of traditional birth attendants and health workers to identify and report cases of FGM and counselling families on alternative rites of passage.
 He, however, called for stronger collaboration with the judiciary and law enforcement agencies to improve access to justice, continuous engagement with health workers to curb the medicalisation of FGM, and greater involvement of traditional and religious leaders in addressing entrenched social norms.
 Special Adviser on Health to the Governor, Simidele Odimayo, said the state government had continued to strengthen its health system and expand public enlightenment across all 203 wards.
 
According to Odimayo, trained health educators have been deployed across primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities to sensitise residents to the dangers of FGM.
 The Special Adviser noted that the government, through its Family Health Department and a dedicated gender desk, had intensified institutional efforts to tackle what he described as a deeply rooted cultural practice.