Rep. Bassey Akiba Message To Mark The International Day Of Zero Tolerance For Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) 2026
Dear Nigerians,
We join the global community today in solemn reflection and renewed resolve as we mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a day that confronts our collective conscience and calls us to stand, without hesitation, on the side of our daughters.
Despite notable progress in recent years, FGM persists in some communities, often hidden in silence or cloaked as cultural rites of passage. Behind closed doors, countless girls are subjected to irreversible harm. Survivors carry lifelong scars, severe bleeding, infections, complications during childbirth, and deep psychological trauma that echoes through their lives.
Beyond its devastating health consequences, FGM entrenches inequality. It robs girls of their childhood, narrows their access to education and opportunity, and curtails their full participation in society. It is a grave violation of human rights, an assault on dignity, and equality.
The 2026 theme, “Towards 2030: No end to female genital mutilation without sustained commitment and investment,” is a sober reminder that progress, though real, remains fragile. Ending FGM demands unwavering political will, strong and responsive institutions, adequate and sustained financing, community-led action, reliable data, and platforms that amplify the voices of girls and survivors.
This day calls us to more than remembrance; it calls us to responsibility. Government, traditional and religious leaders, parents, educators, civil society, and young people must stand as one front against this harmful practice. We must strengthen partnerships, scale proven interventions, protect survivors, and ensure that every girl grows up safe, whole, and free from fear.
Let us be the generation that did not merely condemn FGM in words but dismantled it in action. Let our commitment be louder than tradition, our compassion stronger than silence, and our resolve firmer than indifference until the blade is laid down forever, and every Nigerian girl can rise unscarred into her full promise.
Rep. Bassey Akiba
Member representing
Calabar Municipality/Odukpani Federal Constituency and Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Healthcare Services
6th February, 2026
