Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim was not making a novel disclosure when she said that 15 per cent of girls aged 15 to 19 are already mothers or pregnant. What the nation needs more urgently, however, is not a seasonal repetition of statistics or an outpouring of ministerial lamentations. The government can do better with a culture of pointing to data while simultaneously presenting evidence of how deliberate actions have impacted the problem.
The minister’s revelation came at the end of a recent meeting where the Nigerian government, in collaboration with stakeholders, validated and adopted the country’s first National Policy on Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management. The disclosure was based on Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2023-24.
The statistics is indeed alarming. Ironically, it is also familiar. Shocking statistics on teenage pregnancy have been in plain view for years. The 2018 NDHS shows a prevalence of 19 per cent of girls aged 15 to 19 years, while the 2013 edition indicates that nearly one-quarter (23 per cent) of adolescent women of the same age bracket are already mothers or pregnant with their first child.
About 400,000 unplanned births reportedly occur yearly in Nigeria. Half of these are borne by girls in the 15-19-year age bracket. Studies have shown that teenage mothers, along with their children, are disproportionately exposed to the threat of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and that babies of adolescent parents are at a higher risk of neonatal death. Pregnancy complications represent the leading cause of death among women aged 15–19 worldwide, particularly in developing nations. They are reportedly two times more likely to die than their counterparts aged 20 years and older. The attendant maternal death rates are said to be 400 times greater than in developed countries, a disparity that leads to around 700,000 yearly deaths in low- and middle-income nations.
Beyond the health risks, teen motherhood stretches disadvantage across generations. Once a girl becomes pregnant, the chances that she will complete her education fritter away. Many become subjects of mockery from peers and teachers. Others are forced to abandon their literacy dreams even before they are officially expelled. This deepens the country’s education crisis, where, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund, over 10 million children are already out of school, the majority of them being girls. Early motherhood also traps families in cycles of poverty, as the burden of child-rearing without education or skills translates into lost earnings and diminished prospects. Consequently, the ripples undermine the demographic dividend Nigeria’s youthful population could otherwise provide.
The challenge of teenage pregnancy is not a standalone misfortune; it is the outcome of deep-seated social and economic vulnerabilities. Poverty, child marriage, limited access to contraceptives, inadequate sex education, and cultural silence around adolescent reproductive health are complicit in feeding the crisis. The data may differ from one survey to another, but the underlying drivers have remained consistent. The government’s number-calling with little problem-solving achieves nothing. Lamentations must not substitute action.
Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) must not be pushed away indefinitely if the country is serious about stymieing teenage pregnancy. Studies and reviews by organisations like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and the World Health Organisation have found that well-implemented CSE programmes are associated with a delay in the age of first sexual intercourse among young people. Research also indicates that CSE is effective in reducing risky sexual behaviours, helping to increase the use of contraception and condoms when youths become sexually active, and reducing the number of sexual partners. It has also been linked to lower rates of unintended pregnancies and STIs.
In 2002, the National Council on Education approved the Family Life and HIV/AIDS Education (FLHE) curriculum with a view to providing students with accurate information and skills to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. However, the initiative ran into troubled waters. Implementation faltered: teachers resisted, religious leaders opposed, and parents withheld support. Many policymakers and guardians feared that discussing sexuality with young people would encourage promiscuity. Sadly, the seed of silence has continued to bear the fruits of rising teenage pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and preventable STIs among the nation’s youth.
Nigeria’s unmet need for family planning remains one of the highest in the world, and adolescents are among the most excluded groups. When sexually active young people are denied confidential and affordable access to contraception, unintended pregnancies are inevitable. It is not enough for policymakers to mourn teenage pregnancy statistics while leaving the very tools of prevention out of reach.
Again, the enforcement of existing laws, such as the Child Rights Act and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, must be strengthened. These contain provisions that could address early marriage, sexual violence, and exploitation. Civil society, faith-based organisations, and traditional institutions must play a decisive role. Changing harmful cultural norms requires credible voices at the community level, while programmes that equip girls with life skills, vocational training, and mentorship need to be scaled up. Equally important are initiatives that engage boys and men in conversations about consent, responsibility, and gender equality, for without this, cycles of exploitation will persist.
A World Bank study has shown that countries with high rates of adolescent childbearing suffer a decline in economic growth. Already bogged down by corruption and a high cost of living, Nigeria cannot afford to compound its fiscal heartaches with unchecked teenage pregnancies. Lamentations by government officials must not be reduced to recurring slogans or rhetoric that veil inaction. What the country needs is evidence that policies are translating into protection, opportunities, and better life chances for girls. Unless this is done, Nigeria risks facing even bleaker figures in subsequent surveys. The time to break that cycle is now.
