Oluremi Tinubu Calls for Immediate Action to Stop Child Marriage and End Obstetric Fistula

•Says education, quality healthcare key to protecting women and girls

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

The First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, has urged urgent and coordinated action to end child marriage, describing it as a major contributor to obstetric fistula and a threat to the health and future of women and girls.

She said that efforts must be intensified to empower girls through education and to ensure access to quality healthcare services, insisting that no woman should suffer from a condition that is preventable and treatable.

Mrs. Tinubu made the appeal in a message commemorating the 2026 International Day to End Obstetric Fistula.

“We must act urgently to end child marriage, empower girls through education, and ensure every woman has access to quality healthcare,” she said.

She noted that this year’s theme, “Her Health, Her Right: Shaping a Future without Fistula,” underscores the need to guarantee access to quality maternal healthcare as a fundamental right for all women.

The First Lady explained that early marriage and early pregnancy remain among the leading causes of obstetric fistula, particularly because many young girls are physically unprepared for childbirth.

According to her, harmful traditional practices and inadequate awareness further worsen the situation by limiting access to skilled healthcare and critical maternal health information.

Mrs. Tinubu stressed the need for governments, communities, and stakeholders to work together to eliminate barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing healthcare services.

She reiterated that no woman or girl should be subjected to avoidable suffering resulting from complications associated with childbirth.

“On this International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, I join the global community to reaffirm that no woman or girl should suffer from a condition that is entirely preventable and treatable,” she stated.

The First Lady further urged collective efforts toward creating a future where every childbirth is safe and no woman loses her life while giving birth.

“Let us work together to build a future where every birth is safe, and no woman loses her life in childbirth,” she added.