Bello Hussaini, a 40-year-old public relations officer in Wudil, Kano State, once dismissed childbirth spacing as unnecessary and even dangerous. Like many men in his community, he feared it would harm women’s health or cause infertility.
His perception shifted after attending a community forum that explained childbirth spacing as a way to delay pregnancies, not end them, so mothers can recover and children can thrive. The message was simple: healthier mothers mean healthier families.
To reach men like Hussaini, MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices in 2024 launched Majalisa forums, using existing male gatherings as platforms for peer-led discussions on reproductive health. These forums speak directly to men, who often hold the decision-making power in households.
“I was among those who opposed childbirth spacing at first. We heard a lot of misinformation. But I later understood that it simply means giving mothers time to rest between births.
“Instead of yearly pregnancies, families can plan for three or more years in-between and it keeps both mother and child healthier.”
Today, Hussaini is no longer a sceptic. He now mobilises women in his community for health lectures where they learn about different methods suited to their needs. His own family reflects the change: his wife is healthier, their two-year-old twins are thriving, and he openly encourages others.
Hussaini’s journey is not an isolated one. Across Wudil and beyond, other men are rethinking long-held beliefs and sharing their own experiences to build trust within their communities.
One of them is Salisu Ibrahim, who has been married for 14 years and is a father of three. For him, childbirth spacing has not only protected his wife’s health but also strengthened his family’s wellbeing. With gaps of five to six years between each child, Ibrahim says he has seen the benefits firsthand.
“My wife and I have a good understanding of childbirth spacing,” he explained. “There is almost a five-year gap between my first and second child, and both are healthy. There is also a six-year gap between the second and the last born. I want to advise people that I am a living witness to the benefits.”
In Kano State, women have an average of 5.8 children, and the risks are stark. The maternal mortality ratio stands at about 1,025 deaths per 100,000 live births, which is far above Nigeria’s national average. Infant mortality is 86 per 1,000 live births, while under-five mortality reaches 158 per 1,000. The state’s modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) among married women is just 10.6 per cent, while unmet need remains at 26 per cent.
Yet, change is underway. Traditional leaders, religious clerics, and everyday men are helping to dismantle myths about childbirth spacing. By turning familiar cultural spaces, like community forums and religious gatherings, into platforms for health advocacy, they are reframing family planning as a tool for protecting mothers and children.
This locally driven shift is not only improving maternal and child health in Kano but also offering a model for other regions grappling with similar challenges.
The approach, documented during a recent solutions journalism field trip by Nigeria Health Watch, MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices, and the Family Planning News Network, demonstrates how communities can overcome barriers like misinformation and limited access by drawing on their own social and cultural strengths
How traditional and religious leaders are mobilizing the men to embrace child spacing
Men are traditionally seen as gatekeepers in the Hausa society, but in Kano State, they are becoming active champions of child spacing with the Emir of Rano, Ambassador Muhammad Isa Umar, central to the effort by promoting awareness to avert the problems of unchecked births.
The Emir’s strategy leverages religious platforms to build trust. Islamic clerics incorporate teachings on child spacing into Friday prayers, emphasising its alignment with Islamic values of protecting maternal and child health. The Emir’s palace has become a hub for promoting childbirth spacing.
“This Emirate has become popular in enlightening the people, especially regarding family planning, as we have observed that not adopting child spacing brings about a lot of problems.
Children born in families where the parents don’t practice child spacing often don’t grow up as healthy as those from couples who practice such.
“Calls by groups and other stakeholders made us use district heads to pass on these messages to couples. We also used Islamic clerics, especially during Friday prayers, to enlighten people to safeguard the health of mother and child.
“Also in rural communities, we employ the help of Fulani heads by letting them know the importance of child spacing and how it affects the health of the children.
“We do our best in terms of enlightening our people, and we have seen results. People are now becoming aware of these modern methods of family planning, such as IUDs and injections.
“People now understand the benefits of it”, he said.
The District Head of Wudil Local Government Area, Isa Ya’u, said that it was important for traditional leaders to understand child spacing as they would be able to help their people understand it better and curb any misconception or misinformation that may want to come up.
He pointed out that the sensitisation done by MSI Nigeria and other groups has helped them address deep-rooted misconceptions, such as fears of infertility, and enable them to explain better to their followers who come to meet them about their views on child spacing.
Measuring Progress: Surging uptake and health gains
Evidence observed by the journalists on the field showed the impact of these interventions. Clinics like Autan Bawo report client visits soaring from a handful daily to over 100, favouring long-acting methods post-counselling.
Zara’u Ibrahim from the Kano State Primary Healthcare Board notes a cultural sea change, pointing out that in the past, women came in secret, “but now, men accompany wives and request long-term methods.”
This male involvement, according to MSI Reproductive Choices’ Norms Advisor, Abdullahi Isah, stems from embedding talks in majalisa, yielding over 50 daily participants, adding that the model was designed to meet men where they are.
Isah noted that the myths and stigma around child birth spacing are gradually fading away.
Supporting this is Kano’s Family Planning Strategic Plan, launched in December 2024, targeting 845,114 new users by 2030 through 756 facilities, 413-423 youth-friendly centres and over 500 trained workers, cultural campaigns and worker training.
Data from the Kano State Ministry of Health show a steady climb in the state’s contraceptive prevalence rate, from about 6 per cent in 2018 to roughly 12 per cent by 2023, reflecting progress that health officials partly attribute to these grassroots campaigns.
Challenges and insights: Building sustainable change
Despite the male factor adopting the idea of childbirth spacing, barriers still remain. These barriers include distant clinics, which deter access to healthcare, with the Emir citing far-flung centres and early closures.
“In some places, these centres are far from the residents, so not everyone goes there.
For some of them, it takes a long time before they go there. Sometimes, when people can find their way there, they discover that the staff in the healthcare centre has closed for the day”, he said.
The Emir also pointed out that some communities still do not listen to health or childbirth spacing providers who go to the communities on their own, pointing out that collaboration between health workers and traditional leaders remains key in getting people’s acceptance.
“We work with health workers closely, and we do not allow healthcare providers to visit communities on their own except if we link them with leaders in such communities who will explain things to them.
“This collaboration enables these providers and groups to receive the support they need from community members, as in some communities, they may not listen to you when you are alone unless a community leader or a youth speaks on their behalf or accompanies them”, Umar explained.
As Nigeria grapples with 29 per cent of global maternal deaths, Kano’s initiative, which involves men leading, traditions transforming, proves local solutions can save lives, one story at a time.
In Kano, tradition and modern health practices are no longer at odds. By blending religious authority, male advocacy, and accessible healthcare, Kano State is proving that family planning can thrive when communities lead the charge.
