President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhassan Yahaya, has called on media professionals to play a proactive role in addressing Nigeria’s alarming maternal mortality rate, currently estimated at 1,000 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Yahaya made the call in Abuja during a two-day workshop for journalists from Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, and the Federal Capital Territory, organised by Pathfinder International. He said journalists could help reduce maternal deaths by up to 40 percent through consistent advocacy for family planning and maternal health services.
“As journalists, we have a key role to play in reducing maternal mortality in our country, especially through family planning,” Yahaya said, identifying hemorrhage as a leading cause of maternal deaths.
The NUJ President stressed the importance of integrating family planning into Maternal and Child Health (MNCH) services, commending Pathfinder International for building the capacity of journalists in health reporting. He urged the media to push for increased funding of healthcare, citing mechanisms such as the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund and state counterpart funding.
“Let’s be reviewing budget performance every quarter,” he advised, encouraging journalists to celebrate modest gains while sustaining advocacy for improved allocations. Yahaya also encouraged reporters to engage health commissioners and primary healthcare agencies to ensure accountability.
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Despite the challenges of poor remuneration in the media, he insisted journalists can meaningfully contribute to changing Nigeria’s maternal health narrative through budget advocacy and policy engagement.
In his remarks, Bayo Ewuola, Senior Media and Communication Officer at Pathfinder International Nigeria, said the workshop was designed to deepen journalists’ and social media influencers’ understanding of family planning and MNCH priorities across states.
He added that the programme aims to strengthen ethical, impactful reporting while equipping journalists with practical tools to track budgets, monitor policies, and highlight service delivery gaps.
