What is the biggest danger facing Nigeria? Corruption? Kidnapping? Armed insurgency? Religious extremism? Nigeria’s ticking time bomb might be in its mothers’ wombs....

"The Giant of Africa"

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation, the world’s eighth most populous country, and is the most heavily populated black nation on Earth. Although Nigerians shout with chest thumping pride about their large population, it is nothing to be proud of and is actually a grave danger to the country.

Nigeria's population is currently growing by over 3% every year and has doubled every 35 years or so. There were 55 million Nigerians in 1963, 88 million in 1991, and current estimates place the population at nearly 150 million. The modus operandi of censuses in Nigeria has changed. The censuses of the 1960s and 1970s were marred by accusations of inflation. The most recent census in 2006 may have been an undercount. Official figures from the 2006 census placed Nigeria’s population at 140 million. However in 2007 the United Nations estimated that Nigeria had 148 million people.

Nigeria's Society for Reproductive and Family Health says that five million Nigerian babies are born every year. That means 5 million additional bodies to feed, clothe, educate, and provide electricity to. If current trends continue, by 2020 the population of Lagos alone will exceed the combined population of the eastern seaboard of America. Lagos might become the most densely populated city on Earth

Does Large Population = Poverty in Nigeria?

The economy cannot grow fast enough to provide for the millions of additional people born each year. The irony is that having more children is directly linked to poverty and lack of education. The educated urban classes tend to have less children and live relatively comfortably. Many poor and uneducated rural dwellers tend to have children throughout their reproductive lifespan, with their poverty being increased with each additional child born. In days gone by, large families were seen by our ancestors as an insurance policy against poverty. Children were expected to farm the land, and provide for their aged parents. Nowadays each additional child equals one additional mouth to feed and additional person to educate.

Our African extended family culture where one is literally his/her brother's keeper also perpetuates poverty in large families. This extended family culture condemns not just parents, but the entire family to the risk of poverty as the entire family bears the responsibility of raising large numbers of children.

Idle Children

Another frightening demographic image is that about half of Nigeria's population are children. In a generation these children will become job seeking adults. If they are unable to find jobs, a young, angry and idle population means only one thing: big trouble. For those who think an overpopulated Judge Dread apocalyptic scenario is far fetched, the problems of Nigeria's rapidly growing population are already being felt. Urban migratory trends are placing intolerable pressure on Nigeria's infrastructure. The erratic electricity supply you complain about is not ONLY because of government inefficiency. It is extremely difficult to generate enough electricity to cope with an additional 10 million humans being added to the grid every 2 years.

As Nigeria's population rose, free public amenities were cancelled. When Universal Primary Education (UPE) was first introduced, school enrolment doubled in two years - leading to the scheme's collapse. When UPE was resuscitated by the federal government, there was a massive explosion in enrolment, causing a quadrupling in enrolment over a period of 20 years. The massive strain on educational facilities caused a degradation in the quality of education, overcrowded classrooms, enrolment of poor quality teachers, and degraded graduate aptitude.

Ever wonder why there are a lot more "Area Boys" today than there were in 1980? Legions of unemployed graduates turn to crime and kidnapping as a result of there not being enough jobs to go around for the large young population. Ever wonder why in Nigeria, there is always a gang of idle youths ready to spark violence and commit murder for little or no reason? Symptoms of social breakdown such as the Boko Haram violence, Zogon Kataf, Sharia riots, Niger Delta militants, Area Boys and armed robbers are all from the same demographic: unemployed youths.

The Family Planning Taboo

The dangers of a large population are apparent. What can be done? Other countries with large populations have tried various methods to reduce population growth. These range from crude methods such as India's 1970s offer of free radios to men who underwent sterilisations and China's one child policy.

Can Family Planning Work in Nigeria?

Family planning and contraception is regarded by some as a direct assault on Nigerian traditional and religious values. The desire for large numbers of children is deeply rooted in the Nigerian psyche, and the celebration of fertility and birth is ingrained in many customs. For many Nigerians, children are blessings from God, and the more children one has, the more (s)he is blessed. The ability to reproduce generously is regarded as the essence of womanhood, and a source of pride to the Nigerian man. Many Nigerians subscribe to religious and/or cultural beliefs that reject birth control on moral grounds. Contraception is viewed in some quarters as an immoral Western affront to African values.

Traditional family planning methods will be up against these formidable cultural barriers. Only a gradual educational grassroots program aimed at inculcating into the Nigerian psyche, the dangers of overpopulation, will work.

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Robot  # 1 | 14.09.2009 00:41

...Read the full article.

M. Akosa  # 2 | 14.09.2009 01:26

Of course massive reproduction and population is a very worrying trend in Nigeria. It is a major factor and hinderances to effective redistribution of wealth in any modern society. What baffles me about the Nigerians at home and in diaspora is how eagerly they will celebrate excessive reproduction and baby making and yet fail to make the connection between absence of family planing and chronic dependency on welfare benefits and poverty. I guess every Nigerian woman is celebrating having a womb and ovaries, even while their offsprings are dangerously hawking on the streets, begging, turning to street urchins and competing in garbage dump yards with wild dogs and vultures. Ovaries and womb my foot !!!

denker  # 3 | 14.09.2009 03:31

Only a gradual educational grassroots program aimed at inculcating into the Nigerian psyche, the dangers of overpopulation, will work. :clap::clap::clap:...good dat u remembered not to forget to write dis...good thought...:p:D..anywaz, i do not see overpopulation in naija wat i see is overconcentration in a few big cities...cheers!

Iyke  # 4 | 14.09.2009 05:40

The irony is that having more children is directly linked to poverty and lack of education. the above line is blatantly false. the root cause of Nigeria's poverty is not more children rather corruption. corruption has made it impossible for parents to be paid as at when due, corruption has broken down the educational sector. How many kids do get scholarship now like Dora? Corruption will not allow that. if corruption is properly adressed and more cities are opened and linked, then we will know that Nigeria is really under-populated.

eire  # 5 | 14.09.2009 12:37

=Iyke;387553>The irony is that having more children is directly linked to poverty and lack of education. the above line is blatantly false. the root cause of Nigeria's poverty is not more children rather corruption. corruption has made it impossible for parents to be paid as at when due, corruption has broken down the educational sector. How many kids do get scholarship now like Dora? Corruption will not allow that. if corruption is properly adressed and more cities are opened and linked, then we will know that Nigeria is really under-populated. Iyke, Nigerians, Africans and black people like you make me sick, you are the epitome of the depravity, ignorance, aloofness and nescience that has befalling the ignoramuses of the black race. I have discussions with people like you all over the world daily and go home to weep for my dear race. Black people like you who want to be kept in the standard they are not accustomed to while going about wrecking havoc on the systems you seem to blame on leadership! when a professor here gave a workshop on why Africans think baby making is a cultural thing as supposed to a managed-procreation issue, the names of people like you come up. I cannot wait for the generations of overproducing primitively-culturally-influenced mountain goats to disappear that a new race of black people who understand the benefits of cutting your cut according to your seize, appear. Even the cave men and Vikings understood that if you earn this much you only can have so much dependants, so that you do not bring a poverty stricken-no hope life into this world. Even if there were to be corruption and bad leadership must you behave like all is well? A bad economy is a bad economy period, whether it be as a result of bad rulership or global economic crisis, people will adjust their families to suit such circumstance while waiting and working for things to improve. While Nigeria is trying to sort out its corruption problems its population should not blow up and cause more hardship to an already difficult situation. no matter how much government has to spend they cannot provide more than they can for a mass producing citizenry. Is it not common sense! Our economy cannot support why force it on the economy? Simple arithmetic to those people who produced more children than they should is that they eat less, dress less, sleep worse, die quicker and live miserable lives which could have been easily managed by ensuring the best standard for the number you are capable of.

NWANZA  # 6 | 14.09.2009 14:16

=eire;387623>Iyke, Nigerians, Africans and black people like you make me sick, you are the epitome of the depravity, ignorance, aloofness and nescience that has befalling the ignoramuses of the black race. I have discussions with people like you all over the world daily and go home to weep for my dear race. Black people like you who want to be kept in the standard they are not accustomed to while going about wrecking havoc on the systems you seem to blame on leadership! when a professor here gave a workshop on why Africans think baby making is a cultural thing as supposed to a managed-procreation issue, the names of people like you come up. I cannot wait for the generations of overproducing primitively-culturally-influenced mountain goats to disappear that a new race of black people who understand the benefits of cutting your cut according to your seize, appear. Even the cave men and Vikings understood that if you earn this much you only can have so much dependants, so that you do not bring a poverty stricken-no hope life into this world. Even if there were to be corruption and bad leadership must you behave like all is well? A bad economy is a bad economy period, whether it be as a result of bad rulership or global economic crisis, people will adjust their families to suit such circumstance while waiting and working for things to improve. While Nigeria is trying to sort out its corruption problems its population should not blow up and cause more hardship to an already difficult situation. no matter how much government has to spend they cannot provide more than they can for a mass producing citizenry. Is it not common sense! Our economy cannot support why force it on the economy? Simple arithmetic to those people who produced more children than they should is that they eat less, dress less, sleep worse, die quicker and live miserable lives which could have been easily managed by ensuring the best standard for the number you are capable of. Why go on an attack mode when all the comments are correct, and can be a cause of the problem? Don't worry about what Iyke has to say - he got a big point. You got a big point too. There are so many factors that need to be explored. I hope you understand.

eire  # 7 | 14.09.2009 18:17

=NWANZA;387651>Why go on an attack mode when all the comments are correct, and can be a cause of the problem? Don't worry about what Iyke has to say - he got a big point. You got a big point too. There are so many factors that need to be explored. I hope you understand. Nwanza, What point has Iyke got? please explain... I hope you are not forcing my hand here to discribe you as another thoughtless black IQ-less African. what is the connection between corruption and overproducing offspring? Did Yar'Adua ask poverty stricken people to produce children that will suffer and die miserable deaths on account of the fact their parents are monkey-brained retards who could not do simple maths?

Iyke  # 8 | 14.09.2009 21:40

=eire;387623>Iyke, Nigerians, Africans and black people like you make me sick, you are the epitome of the depravity, ignorance, aloofness and nescience that has befalling the ignoramuses of the black race. I have discussions with people like you all over the world daily and go home to weep for my dear race. Black people like you who want to be kept in the standard they are not accustomed to while going about wrecking havoc on the systems you seem to blame on leadership! when a professor here gave a workshop on why Africans think baby making is a cultural thing as supposed to a managed-procreation issue, the names of people like you come up. I cannot wait for the generations of overproducing primitively-culturally-influenced mountain goats to disappear that a new race of black people who understand the benefits of cutting your cut according to your seize, appear. Even the cave men and Vikings understood that if you earn this much you only can have so much dependants, so that you do not bring a poverty stricken-no hope life into this world. Even if there were to be corruption and bad leadership must you behave like all is well? A bad economy is a bad economy period, whether it be as a result of bad rulership or global economic crisis, people will adjust their families to suit such circumstance while waiting and working for things to improve. While Nigeria is trying to sort out its corruption problems its population should not blow up and cause more hardship to an already difficult situation. no matter how much government has to spend they cannot provide more than they can for a mass producing citizenry. Is it not common sense! Our economy cannot support why force it on the economy? Simple arithmetic to those people who produced more children than they should is that they eat less, dress less, sleep worse, die quicker and live miserable lives which could have been easily managed by ensuring the best standard for the number you are capable of. Argumentum ad hominem cannot help you my dear. Marriage and reproduction are human rights and you have no authority to question that. you can only rant. Because we have looters of the public goods, therefore we castrate ourselves or engage in your stupid family planning. of course common sense tells us that families need to plan their way but even nature has planned it already,so your fuming cannot bellie the obvious fact that corruption is the root cause of poverty. how many kids overseas study with their money? its either a loan or a scholarship. how many overseas puts a down payment on cars they drive, no its instalment. Goverment helps faamilies with public funds. however that does not amount to stupidity on the part of parents. lets tackle corruption headlong, promote creativity and innovation. How many lands in Nigeria are still left uncultivated? i cry when i see huge expanse of lands that has been kept for long without usage. how many research institutes and companys that can employ people are left? we cant buy your crap. it misses the main issue.

f.scorpion  # 9 | 14.09.2009 23:31

What we lack is long term national planning that will allow development of larger population centers inland and decongest Lagos. If we can decouple a significant portion of our GDP from oil and invest in tech or manufacturing, we have a local population that can consume these goods. This is the basis of the Japanese model, who are about the same size in population, on a smaller land mass, with far less resources.We are not overpopulated by whatever measure you use: land mass or natural resources. I like how half of eire's posts are personal attacks. It underscores the facts that you have no proof to back you up. Next time your"professor" gives a lecture on Africans making babies, put your thinking cap on and ask questions.

Babine  # 10 | 15.09.2009 03:45

=M. Akosa;387526>Of course massive reproduction and population is a very worrying trend in Nigeria. It is a major factor and hinderances to effective redistribution of wealth in any modern society. What baffles me about the Nigerians at home and in diaspora is how eagerly they will celebrate excessive reproduction and baby making and yet fail to make the connection between absence of family planing and chronic dependency on welfare benefits and poverty. I guess every Nigerian woman is celebrating having a womb and ovaries, even while their offsprings are dangerously hawking on the streets, begging, turning to street urchins and competing in garbage dump yards with wild dogs and vultures. Ovaries and womb my foot !!! he he he :D:D:D:D:D "Makossssssssssssssssa" has struck again ooooooooooooooooooh, with some school of hard knocks!.......Sometimes you can't even tell the difference between the offsprings and the wild dogs/pigs/vultures......since they all have the same perculiar, 'ferreting', facial characteristics. I think the Nigerians in the diaspora know better than to open their arses to breed like George Foreman....and Mohammed Ali combined. It is those local champions in Nigeria with all that nonsensical "I want you to born for me" illiterate mentality....out of joblessness and poverty that constitute the major headache. Where you have a group of retards breeding like fleas without actually recognizing they have the highest risk in the world to propagate the genus/phyllum of imbeciles unique to that part of world only....with absolutely no hope for cognitive or spiritual rehabilitation....in one word...DOOMED!!! When I am looking for how to get rid of my own ovaries and uterus....I wish I can find a ritualist over there in Nigeria to harvest then when next I visit...nonsense...:rolleyes: @topic No, Nigeria should keep producing 'retards' in the almighty name of the fruit of the womb.....we need more armed robbers....gala/recharge card sellers/ashewos/kidnappers and so on to keep the economy afloat. More recreational/educational facilities need to be established all around Nigeria to curtail all that nonsense "phocking" going on there,...since there is absolutely nothing for those dullards to meaningfully engage in over there.....especially after 4PM!!!!

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