Goodluck’s birth control call sparks heated debate in Nigeria
President Goodluck Jonathan’s promise to push a legislation to control child birth has generated heated debate in Nigeria, which has a population of nearly 160 million and life expectancy of 47-56 years.
According to Nigeria’s demographic profile for 2012, birth rate in Africa’s most populous nation is 35.51 birth1,000 population and death rate is 16.06 death/1,000 population.
The United Nations has estimated that the population of Nigeria could grow from 160 million to 400 million by 2050.
The country has witnessed a steady decline in its growth rate which is still relatively high for economic comfort.
It may be against this backdrop that the the Nigerian leader intends to promulgate a legislation on birth control.
President Jonathan made the announcement this week, while inaugurating a new board for the National Population Commission recently in the capital Abuja.
But his statement has sparked a wave of mixed reactions across the country.
WADR’s Abuja Correspondent Martins Martins has been on the streets of Abuja to gauge the views of some Nigerians on their president’s call, asking them to reduce the number of children they are having.
Click audio below to listen
Some economists argue that a large population implies a large market for goods and services, as well as a large pool of human resources for development.
However, the they say impact of population on development depends not only on the absolute size but also on its quality.
Tweet
