Actress says teenage girls need right education, information on sexual health

A renowned Nollywood actress, Stephanie Linus-Okereke, says teenage girls need right education and information about sexual and reproductive health to make right decisions.

Linus-Okereke spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of her unveiling as the Regional Ambassador for Maternal Health in West and Central Africa Region.

NAN reports that the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, on Wednesday performed the ceremony organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Lagos.

The Nollywood actress said that as the newly appointed ambassador on maternal health, she would ensure that teenage girls got the right information to prevent early pregnancy.

According to her, information and education are necessary to reduce the risk of abortion and other sexual and reproductive health problems that occur among teenagers.

“My focus is to ensure that girls are well equipped in terms of education and information,“ Linus-Okereke said.

She promised to work closely with the UNFPA and come up with suggestions that would help the agency to achieve its goals in terms of improved sexual and reproductive health in women and girls.

The ambassador on maternal health said, “I am going to leverage in some of the partnerships that I have and see how we can work together to improve the lives of women and girls."

Linus-Okereke said, “It is going to be a collaborative effort.

“The world is moving very fast, and we are living in a technology-driven society and so information is passing every second.

“We need to meet it at its space; gone are those days when we can get information in one central area. Now, information is coming from different areas.

“We have to make sure we hit it right on time, so as to give that child the right information to prepare her for the world she is going to face later on.“