The Right to Family Planning Services in Sokoto, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examines all options and stipulations to family planning services as recognized in national laws, international human rights documents and other United Nations consensus documents. The study adopts quantitative method of data collection and a cluster sampling procedure in selecting respondents. The total sample size for the study was four hundred and eight (408) and two types of questionnaires were administered to the three hundred and eighty-four (384) respondents who were clients of family planning services and twenty-four (24) respondents, who were government agents providing family planning services in the metropolis of Sokoto  in north western Nigeria. Descriptive statistics was used for data analysis and Statistics Package for Social Science (SPSS) to compute the data into frequency and percentage. The study reveals that government has been able to play its obligatory role as rights bearer by its provision and protection of client’s rights to family planning services and maternal health, but more effort is still required in capacity building of personnel. The study recommends that government should intensify its efforts on the dissemination of accurate and adequate information on family planning. Efforts on capacity building of providers should be accelerated; poverty eradication and increased literacy level should be a major focus.