Ekiti State is one of the three states in the Southwest with the prevalence of FGM.
The Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mr. Afunminiyi Afuye, who stated this while receiving HACEY Health Initiative on FGM advocacy visit to the Assembly, said the state legislature was willing and ready to pass legislation that will stop the harmful practice.
Afuye noted that though the wife of the state governor had campaigned across the state where many people surrendered their tools of practice and renounced FGM, there was a need for legislation to strengthen sanctions.
The Speaker said some laws seeking to protect the right of womenfolk have been passed by the state legislature, adding that the FGM law would not be an exception.
In her remarks, the Executive Director of HACEY Health Initiative, Rhoda Robinson, said she led the delegation to the assembly to ask the lawmakers to review state laws and policies that would fight against FGM.
According to her, Nigeria accounts for 10 percent of FGM cases all over the world, noting that Ekiti and two other states in focus states, accounted for high incidences of FGM in the country.
“We have come to seek the support of the Ekiti State Assembly to end the practice of FGM. We want more efforts and more commitment to strengthen the partnership and end FGM. We want state actors like the assembly to step up efforts. FGM should now be seen as a criminal offense” Robinson said.