Ekiti State Launches SToP Guideline to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes

On December, 10th 2025, the Ekiti State Ministry of Health and Human Services publicly disseminated and launched the Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications Guidelines (SToP) in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. Present at the event to give the opening remarks was the Honourable Commissioner, Ekiti State Ministry of Health and Human Services, Dr. Oyebanji Filani. He was represented by the Permanent Secretary, MoHHS, Mrs. Olusola Gbenga-Igotun (JP). According to the Honourable Commissioner, “We are here to save lives… by providing professional pathways for safe termination under legal indications. Ekiti State is actively reducing the risk of unsafe abortions that often claim the lives of adolescent girls and young women.”

“We must guide our people toward safe, professional care and away from the dangers of unprofessional services,” the Honourable Commissioner submitted.

Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Health launched its StoP Guideline in 2018. Various states have also followed in the same order. These guidelines are based on sections of the Nigerian Criminal Code (Section 297 of the Criminal Code Act, Section 232 of the Penal Code) that permit termination to save a woman’s life. Anambra, Gombe, Ogun, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Osun, Jigawa and now Ekiti are some of the few states in Nigeria that have adopted the guideline given their geographic peculiarity.

The Ekiti State SToP Guideline was developed as part of outputs from the implementation of the Enabling Comprehensive Care for Her (Reproductive) Health Options (ECHO) project implemented by Onelife Initiative with support from Amplify Change. The SToP Guideline consultant, Prof. Babatunde Olofinbiyi, Consultant Obstetrician, Gynaecologist, Adolescent Reproductive Health Specialist and Public Health Physician gave an overview of the document including the seven chapters contained in the document.

According to him, “this document stands out in Nigeria. It is designed to simplify complex procedures, ensuring that health workers can act with clarity and confidence without being hindered by religious or cultural bias. The guideline covers ethical enhancements, personnel preparation, and post procedure care, emphasising that no health care provider should dismiss a person seeking services if the legal stipulations are met.”

He also called for the establishment of a Technical Working Group (TWG) to ensure these standards are maintained across the state. The Permanent Secretary of the Hospital Management Board, Dr. Alabi Olasunkanmi Omotolani congratulated the state for having such an important document and committed to its use by the Hospital Management Board. The launch was a moment of total alignment between government and professional bodies. The Primary Health Care Development Agency also committed to using the document to protect women from the risks of unsafe practices. The Nigerian Medical Association also pledged its support, noting that these guidelines create better, safer options for the community.

Pocket-sized versions of the guidelines were also produced to ensure easy access to the medical instructions needed for the provision of safe abortion services. The leadership of the Primary Health Care Board in the state, the Public Health Department, Hospitals Management Board, NANNM, SARC, SOGON, NSCDC, and various MDAs signed for varying numbers of copies of the document. This is to ensure the SToP guideline reaches medical professionals in various health facilities where it is intended to be integrated into routine practice, rather than remaining a reference document alone.

Also present at the event were representatives from the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), Christian Association of Nigeria, Nigerian Medical Association, Ekiti State, Ekiti State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Chief Imam of Ekiti State, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Ekiti State Ministry of Justice, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON), various Non-Government Organisations and Civil Society Actors.

The Executive Director of Onelife Initiative, ’Sola Fagorusi thanked all present at the dissemination and commended the Ministry of Health and Human Services for embracing the need for the SToP guideline. Fagorusi also urged the Ministry and the various MDAs and non-state actors to move on to action by ensuring service provision especially in cases of sexual and gender based violence when safe abortion is known to ensure the physical, social and mental health of the woman is guaranteed.