News

Accessing healthcare: An arduous journey for pregnant women in northwest Nigeria

Published

2 years ago

March 5, 2024

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Accessing healthcare: An arduous journey for pregnant women in northwest Nigeria

By: Michael Mike

In the bustling emergency ward of Jahun General Hospital’s maternity department, the rhythm of activity beats with urgency and determination, like a pulse in the air. In this hospital, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) collaborates with the Jigawa state Ministry of Health to provide comprehensive emergency obstetrics and newborn care and fistula care. Since commencing services in 2008, MSF teams have assisted 90,000 deliveries.
Nigeria is the third country in the world, after South Sudan and Chad, where a woman is most likely to die giving birth, according to the World Health Organisation. With an average of more than 1,000 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births each year, Nigeria is far from the global target for 2030 of less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, as set under the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Maternal mortality rates far exceed the country average in northern Nigeria, where more than half of the country’s estimated 200 million people live. In Jigawa state, the most significant factor is the limited access pregnant women have to antenatal care and delivery care for complications in childbirth, which frequently occur.
Unity Enuebuke, MSF Nursing Activity Manager, has been working in Jahun General Hospital for more than 10 years. “We see a lot of women with serious complications, with the most common ones being anaemia, haemorrhage and eclampsia,” she explains. The high number of patients means the maternity wards are often fully occupied, if not over capacity. Unity says, “We regularly have up to two women sharing a bed, and depending on the type of complications we see, things can escalate very quickly.”
Ramatu
Ramatu, a mother of two, suffered life-threatening eclampsia—seizures due to high blood pressure—when she delivered her first baby in Jahun hospital. This is her second time here, overcoming the considerable distance from home. “I live five hours away from Jahun General Hospital. There is no hospital where I live, and the closest one does not open at night,” she explains. In Jigawa state, many of the estimated 749 primary healthcare centres do not have the drugs, healthcare workers and medical equipment to serve the thousands of women of childbearing age, despite efforts from public health authorities, the current healthcare infrastructure does not come close to meeting the needs of the population.
This dire situation leaves pregnant women who want to attend a healthcare facility with limited choices such as giving birth at home, and if complications arise, embarking on a treacherous journey to try to reach one that is functioning.
It is also not enough that healthcare facilities are available, they must also be affordable. The economic reality in this region, worsened by soaring inflation rates, makes it difficult for people to afford hospital fees, drugs or even transportation to health facilities.
The result is that women become hesitant to go to the hospital, preferring to give birth at home with the help of more affordable traditional birth attendants, hence increasing the risk of experiencing complications.
Khadijah
Women have given birth at home for centuries, but mother’s and baby’s survival can hinge on preparing and planning for managing complications, which may also occur without warning. In Jigawa state, health professionals and facility-based delivery rates remain low with up to around 80% of deliveries occurring at home.
Nurse Unity says, “Most times, family members don’t bring the mother to the hospital until they see that the baby is not coming out and the mother herself is having seizures.”
Khadijah, a 58-year-old traditional birth attendant in Aujara community, Jigawa state, understands the value of hospital care if she can’t manage a complication, but has experienced women’s hesitation firsthand. “Some women take my advice when I say they should go to the hospital, while some refuse to go to the hospital because they say that they are used to giving birth at home.”
In many communities in Jigawa state, pregnant women often require permission from their husband or mothers-in-law to visit hospital. This practice is compounded by a trend of early marriage, at an age when women are not fully informed about pregnancy and are not physically ready to carry a child.
Khadijah explains that for some, “it is their husbands that prevent them from going to the hospital. Some men don’t see the relevance of antenatal care, while others don’t want another man to treat their wives.”
1.

What needs to be done?
To tackle maternal mortality, a multitude of factors must be addressed. State authorities and international organisations must scale up their activities and increase funding to healthcare in the region, ensuring that budget allocations for primary healthcare centres are properly utilised and thorough planning and strict implementation processes are in place. In 2023, MSF teams assisted 15,754 deliveries, performed 1,911 caesarean sections and completed 43,785 antenatal consultations. Yet, it is still a drop in the ocean when looking at the needs of women in Jigawa state.
Primary healthcare facilities, which are often the first point where pregnant women seek healthcare, need to be equipped with trained personnel, equipment and resources to manage childbirth-related complications. “Eighty two percent of the cases we receive at Jahun General Hospital are complicated cases that could have been prevented at the primary healthcare level.” says Abdulwahab Mohamed, MSF medical coordinator. “Women, especially those of childbearing age, also have to be informed about their health and wellbeing through health empowerment programmes led by state authorities or other health stakeholders”.
Pregnant women must be encouraged to go for antenatal care where they can be informed about their pregnancy journey and what to expect. Efforts must be made to mitigate cultural practices that hinder women from seeking care in medical facilities. Women should be allowed agency and given freedom to make decisions for their health.
MSF supports the Jigawa state Ministry of Health in providing comprehensive emergency obstetrics and newborn care. Our support started with vesicovaginal fistula repair in 2008, however, the project evolved into a 161-bed facility to care for pregnant women and newborns experiencing complications. MSF teams also provide maternal and neonatal healthcare in the states of Kano, Benue, Cross River, Zamfara and will open a large maternity hospital in Maiduguri in June 2024.

Accessing healthcare: An arduous journey for pregnant women in northwest Nigeria

News

Calm returns to Pulka after Wednesday night attack on the town

Published

21 minutes ago

April 9, 2026

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Calm returns to Pulka after Wednesday night attack on the town

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Residents of Pulka who ran to the bush yesterday night have returned home even as the troops of the Nigerian military repelled attempts by insurgents from sacking the town.

The insurgents too residents hinted did not leave without injecting their trade marks on the base of the military in the community leaving about three soldiers dead.

A source who wanted anonymity said that she had to run out of her house with her neighbors at about ten pm wednesday evening into the thick savannah to hide so that they are not attacked, killed or abducted when the criminals entered the community.

“We were all relaxing in our homes when the sounds of gun fire rented the air. Not knowing what to do we locked our doors and waited indoors while praying that the worse should not happen to us residents.

” Towards 10.30 pm the artillery blasts became intensified. Then suddenly, we heard the voices of soldiers telling us to run away into the bush showing us the safe direction to go into the dark while they stayed back to face the criminals.

” We stayed in the bush untill around 1 am when word reached one of our neighbors that the coast was clear to return to base. So by two am some of us were back into our residences trying to survive as usual.

” Nobody could sleep in the bush regardless of our tiredness which we were going through. We came back only to hear that the base of our military protectors was sacked and burnt down leaving three soldiers dead in as at the wee hours of the night.

” Very sad indeed. I feel for them because they are going to start a fresh. Sadly, this has been the routine which we have been following since a couple of years ago, I started working for my agency in this town.” She lamented.

Pulka which is about 109 km is at the foot of the Mandara mountains which is the hot bed of Boko Haram in Borno State.

Calm returns to Pulka after Wednesday night attack on the town

News

Zulum Rolls Out 20 Electric Buses to Cushion Petrol Price Hike

Published

8 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Zulum Rolls Out 20 Electric Buses to Cushion Petrol Price Hike

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has directed the immediate deployment of 20 luxury electric buses for public use as part of measures to cushion the impact of the recent petrol price hike on residents.

The buses, which were inaugurated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 20th December, 2025, alongside 3,000 electric bicycles, 500 electric tricycles, and 100 electric vehicles aimed at improving transportation services across the state.

The rollout of the buses, which commenced on Friday, 3rd April, features a fleet of 17 buses with 49 seating capacity, two 37-seaters, and one 28-seater. They are currently being deployed across major routes within Maiduguri metropolis and its environs to ease the burden of rising transport costs on commuters.

The Fully air-conditioned and energy-efficient vehicles can cover over 400 kilometres on a single charge. This initiative complements the existing fleet of buses and salon cars earlier procured by the Zulum administration to enhance urban mobility.

To ensure seamless operations, the governor has also established the largest electric vehicle charging terminal in the country, with the capacity to charge up to 50 vehicles at a time.

To further protect residents from the ripple effects of the global energy crisis, Governor Zulum directed Borno Express Transport Service to maintain a subsidised fare of N50 per drop.

The intervention has already begun to yield positive results, with noticeable reductions in congestion and improved access to affordable transportation for students, civil servants, traders, and other residents.

Commuters have since commended the initiative, describing it as timely and impactful.

“This transport initiative is indeed commendable. We are not feeling the impact of the rising transportation costs, as fares remain at N50 per drop. We thank Governor Zulum for the gesture”.

The initiative forms part of Governor Zulum’s effort to promote green energy, modernise transportation system and provide relief to the vulnerable.

Zulum Rolls Out 20 Electric Buses to Cushion Petrol Price Hike

News

Youth Exclusion Could Derail Development Goals, UN Issues Urgent Warning

Published

13 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Youth Exclusion Could Derail Development Goals, UN Issues Urgent Warning

By: Michael Mike

A senior United Nations official has issued a strong warning that governments and institutions risk deepening instability and policy failure if they continue to sideline young people, insisting that meaningful youth inclusion is now a critical condition for peace, stability, and sustainable development.

Speaking in Abuja at an interactive session with youth, the United Nations Assistant Secretary General for Youth Affairs and Head of UN Youth Affairs, who is currently on an official visit to Nigeria, Mr. Felipe Paullier, said global institutions are failing to evolve at the pace required to match today’s rapidly changing realities, particularly the demographic shift driven by an unprecedented youth population.

The event, themed “Open-Door Youth Engagement,” convened youth-led organizations, young women’s groups, youth peacebuilders, innovators, students, young professionals, persons with disabilities, and underserved youth communities for an interactive dialogue with representatives of the Government and the United Nations.

According to Paullier, young people now represent the largest, most educated, and most interconnected generation in history, especially in developing countries like Nigeria. However, this demographic advantage is being undermined by persistent gaps in access to quality education and limited opportunities for meaningful participation in governance.

He noted that: “Engaging young people in policy is not just an option—it is a condition if we want to achieve peace, stability, and effective solutions.”

He said the UN acknowledged a growing disconnect between policy formulation and real-world impact, describing the process of closing this gap as complex but urgent.

He admitted that while global frameworks exist, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and youth-focused strategies, implementation at the national level remains inconsistent.

LHe emphasized that governments must move beyond rhetoric and adopt clear, actionable commitments that integrate youth voices into decision-making processes.

He said central to this effort is the UN’s broader development roadmap, which includes commitments to embed youth participation not only at global levels but also within country-level governance and policy execution.

Addressing concerns over the sustainability of policies, he warned that many initiatives fail because they are not designed to endure or adapt over time. The solution, the official argued, lies in institutionalizing youth engagement rather than treating it as a temporary or symbolic exercise.

He noted that nearly half of the world’s population under 30, and significantly higher percentages across Africa, the stakes are even higher for countries on African continent.

He said: “Youth engagement should not be seen as a project—it must be embedded at the heart of governance, financing, and development planning.”

The UN also called for increased investment in youth-driven innovation, noting that young Nigerians are already transforming sectors such as agriculture, technology, and the creative economy through ingenuity and entrepreneurship.

Youth Exclusion Could Derail Development Goals, UN Issues Urgent Warning