Thanks to civilization, modernization, and religion, Nigerians are encouraged to reduce or put in check the number of children born into a family. In the national health insurance sector, for example, the organization recognizes and approves only four biological children, and any other child is termed an extra dependent and consequently attracts extra costs. The economic reality, the need for child spacing, and the need to minimize the risk of mother and child morbidity and mortality have greatly contributed to the acceptance of family planning in Nigeria.
While the nation has in the last decades witnessed a harsh and unfavorable economic trend, the burden and responsibility of taking care of family have become difficult with the hunger and poverty rate impoverishing not just the lower class but also the middle class. It has been difficult to feed even an individual, and if it has to be in their threes or more, the burden is more devastating. Having more children may not necessarily mean higher human capital, but rather more unskilled labor when the economy is not buoyant enough to make sectors such as education subsidized or free. Perhaps the economy was relatively fair some decades ago, but the reverse is largely the case now, with many children hungry and out of school.
When we understand that having a space of uninhabited land does not imply abundance for expansion, but rather having the required resources in a conducive environment, a community of people can be considered prosperous. Since resources are limited and there is a need to make plans for the future of any community, it is important to put regulations on birth control through laws beyond the advocacy of family planning.
Some ways to manage population control include:
- Imposing sanctions and fines on families who have more children than the required and accepted number.
- Increasing taxes on families with children that exceeded the required or acceptable number.
- Appreciating through incentives such as subsidized fees and taxes for families that comply with the acceptable number.
- Making readily accessible and affordable family planning facilities available to the public.
Using the above tactics and many more may help to curb the unchecked population explosion in a given country.
For a census that should be done at regular intervals in Nigeria, the government has failed to adhere to the proposed ten-year interval, which ceased to hold after the premier census in 2006, even though an attempt was made last year but was not successful. Thus, only an estimate of the actual population can be stated. However, it is feared that Nigeria has continually increased in population, with the country standing above two hundred million, perhaps one of the reasons we are called the giant of Africa.
Nonetheless, the poverty and hunger index continues to rise, with those below the poverty line in far greater excess. This would only mean the nation has to strictly check its population growth while it attempts to correct inflation and economic hardship.
Of what benefit is quantity over quality? I will still advocate that we legalize a few children, maybe two with earlier highlighted measures, or enforce the maximum to be four, knowing fully well that Africans are very fertile.
Thank you for reading. I would love to have your comments and contributions.
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Indeed these points you have stated will cushion those who do not care about the havoc they are causing to the society
And painfully, it is the lower and middle class that are in this business of mass reproduction. Thank you for your kind comment
Sadly it is... God help us in this country
Amen
Right now I will put Nigeria's population at around 300 million, we have far surpassed the 200 million estimate. You have given very useful tips which are similar to the policies of China and some states in India. The government really have to intervene in our growing population before it is too late
Perhaps we are aiming for the Billion. Hopefully something can be done fast to regularize this as it relates to the economy. Thank you for your kind comment
One thing that amaze me about Nigerians is that we complain too much about hardship yet most of the women keeps bringing babies to this world. I wonder even if government set a rule it's going to work out in our country 🤷
Nigeria and her people are peculiar, sometimes I wonder if any system can work here effectively without dictatorship
Honesty its going to take God to come down from heaven before Nigerians listen to anyone.
😂