OGUN, Nigeria – The General Overseer of Victory Life Bible Church, Lawrence Achudume, has appealed to Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, not to assent to the proposed Safe Termination of Pregnancy Bill, warning that it could lead to the loss of unborn lives.
Achudume made the appeal on Sunday during a thanksgiving service in Abeokuta organised to mark the 50th anniversary of the Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.
The cleric described the proposed legislation as a dangerous development, saying he learnt about it through contacts in the United States and a prominent Christian leader in Plateau State. “I received information about this proposed bill from my contacts in the United States and a prominent Christian leader from Plateau State,” he said.
Achudume said he subsequently contacted the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria, which prepared a formal letter urging the governor not to approve the bill. He appealed to Abiodun to reject the proposal, describing the governor as a leader who values children and human life. “Nigeria has experienced enough bloodshed and should not support policies that could encourage further loss of innocent lives,” he said.
The cleric also urged the governor to protect his administration’s legacy by ensuring that the state did not adopt a law he believes could facilitate the termination of unborn children. He commended the Abiodun administration for maintaining peace in the state, saying Ogun had remained free from acts of terrorism.
The Ogun State House of Assembly passed the bill on September 24, 2026, following the adoption of a report by the House Committee on Health, chaired by Wahab Haruna, representing Yewa North II.
Titled ‘Ogun State Safe Termination of Pregnancy Law, 2026’, the bill seeks to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality, promote safe motherhood and reproductive health rights, and provide for pregnancy termination under specified legal conditions. The Speaker of the Assembly, Oludaisi Elemide, subsequently directed that a clean copy of the legislation be transmitted to Abiodun for assent.
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