Agbado Oke Odo Stakeholders’ meeting: Ogundipe advocates vasectomy as cure for prostate
Mrs Ahmed Ogundipe, a member of Interfaith Public Health Advocacy Lagos (IPHA) has stated that there is urgent need for men to take a driver’s seat in the uptake of family planning in Nigeria. She said aside women’s involvement in family planning, men should be made to play crucial role by taking the vasectomy method of family planning.
Ogundipe, a retired health worker made the disclosure at a one-day Stakeholders’ Meeting which was sponsored by The Challenge Initiative (TCI) at Ajasa Command Townhall, Agbado Oke Odo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Alimosho, Lagos State, on the 27th November, 2024.
While enumerating the advantages of vasectomy, Ogundipe disclosed that vasectomy could help in reducing the dangerous effects of prostate cancer in men and called for research into her claim.
She averred that during the time of President Shehu Shagari, when Joseph Wayas was the Senate President, a bill was proposed for injection for men but expressed dismay that the bill did not see the light of the day. She said “There was a proposed bill for injection for men, but up till today nothing has come out of it and we told them that we have only two methods for men presently, which is condom and vasectomy.”
She said vasectomy is good and it does not reduce men’s performance in the bed. “If they do it they would be happy, because prostate cancer is becoming rampant. If they do it does not mean they will not perform, they will perform perfectly, but most importantly it will reduce the risk of prostate cancer significantly, but for men they are not ready. We are saying if they can ejaculate, if they can be meeting their wives regularly, if they don’t meet woman the prostate will be enlarging, I want them to research on it. So when men have had the number of children they want they should go for vasectomy, it will make them to live healthy, at 90, 100, they will still be enjoying.”
On the question on why prostate enlarges during old age, she said, “It is men that abandon their wives because they have reached menopause, and they will give reason that they would give them disease, that if they are meeting their wives, their manhood would drop, they will not be able to perform, whereas the woman that is no more menstruating is the best for them because the issue of pregnancy is no more there, though that area may be tight but there are lubricants they can use and enjoy themselves.”
Earlier, Dr (Mrs) Ashiru Ajoke, Chairman of IPHA said the choice of Oke Ado was on purpose as there was low family planning knowledge in the area. “We are here for Community engagement for Family Planning for the members of the community. We purposely chose this venue, we are working in four local governments, according to the directive of The Challenge Initiative (TCI), they are the ones sponsoring the programme, the uptake of family planning in this community is very low that was why we are here. This is something that is very precious, people don’t want to take it, but we are bringing it to their doorstep.”
Ajoke pleaded with participants to preach the good news of family planning to their various communities. “Please when you get back home help us disseminate the information so that the people also will embrace family planning services.”
Ajoke was happy that the essence of the meeting was a success. ”The sensitization and the response from the participants was a success and fortunately for us we have both community leaders, we have religious leaders, and we have elders including youth because all of them are going to benefit and the essence of including the religious leaders and the community leaders is because they are the people that matter within the community and they would be able to disseminate information to the masses.”
Omolara Owojuyigbe, the Health Education Officer for Agbado Ode Ono LCDA, Alimosho said “Today we gather the community stakeholders where people would be able to ask questions about family planning, share their fears about family planning, debunk a lot of myths about family planning and give out services.”
Speaking on some of the myths referred she said, “Yes a lot of myths, some people believe that once you take family planning, you start getting fat, some believe that once you take family planning you will not give birth again, some believe that it is only women that can take family planning which are all myths. They are all lies, we have family planning for men and we have for women, we have different methods of family planning, what we understand is that some people once they hear from their friends that did a particular method they believe that it is the only method of family planning. And we have thousands of methods of family planning.”
Gloria Olajide, a civil servant, a mobiliser and a satisfied family planning user said. ”I am here because of the family planning. Family planning is good for all families so that we can take care of our family. Our children will not be deprived; we will have enough money, we will have enough food at home, we can take care of our family. And we can send our children to any school we like. I was using family planning before I stopped giving birth. I used pills, and sometimes I would use the injection.”
Salaju Olanike another mobiliser, speaking on what she usually tell women when she goes out for mobilization, and what their response are. “What we normally introduce to them is to come and plan themselves, plan their lives, and space their children, they talk about challenges, my sister did family planning and she had big tommy, fat legs, some say they bleed, all those things are false, but we need to convince them, to enlighten them to know we have different types of bodies. These are the ways we encourage them.”
