National Population Commission, on Saturday, warned that the continued closure of schools across Nigeria due to the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to an increase in teenage pregnancy, abortion and early school dropouts.
NPC Acting Executive Chairman, Dr Tayo Oyetunji, stated this at the 2020 World Population Day in Abuja.
He said there had been noticeable increase in gender-based violence, ranging from rape to physical and emotional assaults on girls.
“In the absence of schooling, more girls are likely to drop out of school and other consequences could include early marriage and high fertility, morbidity and maternal mortality, abortion and low self-esteem,” Oyetunji said.
Federal Government recently suspended the resumption of final year students in schools across the country following an increase in the rate of infection of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event, with the theme: “Putting the Brakes on COVID-19: How to Safeguard the Health and Rights of Women and Girls Now,” was part of an international awareness campaign that is celebrated annually to turn global attention on the urgency and importance of population issues universally.
The NPC boss added that the plight of girls and women had been worsened with limited access to health facilities due to the lockdowns. “COVID-19 did not make it easy for women to access and utilise reproductive health facilities, especially as the logistics of getting to health facilities were negatively impacted,” he said.