Stockouts, provider bias deny women access to contraceptives – Experts

Jagun, Azege, Shokunbi urge journalists to expose barriers

By Sola Ogundipe

Nigeria’s contraceptive shelves may be stocked, but many women and girls still cannot obtain or freely use family planning services because of cost, stockouts, provider bias, stigma, misinformation and other barriers, reproductive health stakehoders have warned.
The Executive Director, Centre for Bridging Health Gaps, Dr Moriam Jagun, said Nigeria must stop equating the availability of contraceptive commodities with genuine access, urging journalists to investigate the barriers preventing women and young people from making informed reproductive choices.
Addressing members of the Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria (NRHJN) during a forum to mark the 2026 World Contraception Day, held under the theme, “No Barriers, Just Choices: Contraceptive Access Now!”, Jagun said access went beyond having contraceptives physically available.
“Contraceptive av