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Thursday 2 June 2011

Nigeria may become 3rd most populous nation, says UN chief

Nigeria could be the world’s third most populous nation by 2100, after China and India, with 700 million people, American economist Jeffrey Sachs has said. Sachs famous for such books as The End of Poverty, currently serving as special adviser to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, said a three-child policy is needed to contain the population explosion.

Three-child policy in Nigeria? In Arnold's Voice "Whachutalking you about Jeffrey?"



The report said Nigeria’s population currently stands at around 160 million, adding that some estimates project that Nigeria could have over 700 million people by 2100, placing it third in population behind China and India.

Proferring a solution, Sachs said, “I am really scared about population explosion in Nigeria. It is not healthy. Nigeria should work towards attaining a maximum of three children per family,” Sachs told AFP on the margins of a presidential interactive meeting with key members of the business community.

He told the meeting earlier that an increased annual economic growth rate from the current seven percent, encouragement of integrated development in economy, agriculture, urban and rural sectors, provision of a good health system, education, power, railway, could see the country become one of the most important economies in the 21st century.

But a Nigerian family planning expert Isaac Ogo who said the three child proposal was not feasible. He pointed to the tradition of polygamy and the belief that the children were seen as a “gift from God” in a male-dominated society. Mr Ogo, from the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, agrees with the goal but says it will be hard to change the views of many Nigerians.
He says Nigeria is a “high birth, high death” society where many people think: “I need to have as much children as I want, as I don’t know which will survive.”

Source: Vanguard Newspaper

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

What do you mean "whachutalkin'about...?" My dear, that could be a good policy to help curb the population rate. Anything to that will help, we have all these mouths to feed and no food to feed them then people start palming kids off to relatives when those kids didn't need to be here in the first place. Whatever happened to birth control? People get bored when NEPA takes light and start procreating like rabbits when get mad when you don't respond to letters for money as if you who live abroad no get your own wahala!

Anonymous said...

Well I have to say that I kind of agree with Anon-8:43 above and Jeffery. The country needs help on various aspects especially ones like this.

9ice said...

Na today!!!!!

Ayodeji said...

There are several things that can go wrong with this scenario! This is not China! The government is not responsible for feeding or educating my children. There are no scholarships or housing subsidies or anything. What right then does the government have to tell me how many kids I can have? So are we going to be the next China were you are vigorously inspected to make sure that you don't have more than one kid? Abegi, let them go and sit down.

That said, we need help. And that help is continuous education - cut your coat according to your material. This means that people should be educated on the need to have only as many kids as you can provide for. My maternal grrandmother has seven kids: they are all college graduates! My Mum has five kids: we are ALL very successful at various levels of college and post graduate degrees. Its not haow many kids you have, but what kind of life you can reasonably provide for them.

Unknown said...

Errrr this won't work oh! It would be nice if it did, but mehnnn...

Adiya
http://thecornershopng.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

you mean it is not already?

Uche said...

Guys have you not heard... 'sex is the poetry of the poor'. Our people just need to be better educated and I do not mean in classrooms alone... This is where the full power of the media should come into play regarding social and corporate responsibilities. However I do not think forcing a specific limit regarding the number of children in Nigeria is the way forward(Firstly it sounds like communism and secondly WE are so backward as a country (not as individuals) that we do not see being called part of the 3RD world as derogatory) afterall what exactly does this country provide generally from a social point of view?... Just a rhetorical question

t said...

I understand both sides of the argument: the right to shag, versus engineering development. What can I say: wear ya raincoat. I don't know why it's so hard for you :)
Anyway, I recently wrote a bit about why the high fertility rate in Nigeria (it's much higher in Niger, where a typical woman has eight children versus Nigeria's five) and Africa suggests a lowering of voting age - I mean why set voting out of the reach of most of the population? It's at www.XinVogue.blogspot.com

XinVogue.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

NIGERIA WILL GO HEAD ON WITH DISASTER IF THIS UN POSITION IS NOT TAKEN AS A RED FLAG. TRUTH AS THEY SAY IS ALWAYS BITTER

NIGERIAN ARE NOTORIOUS FOR COMPOUNDING IGNORANCE WITH ARROGANCE. WE DON'T KNOW AND DON'T RESPECT THOSE WHO KNOW.

UNLESS WE ELECT CREATIVE LEADERS THAT CAN TAKE US AS A NATION TO COUNTRY WHERE LIGHT IS CONSISTENT (as minmal) IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME.

Anonymous said...

Not so sure it would work here. But God knows we need all the help we can get to eliminate poverty from our country.
Linda dear, i have sent you the link. How far now?

Vera

Anonymous said...

i was taught in school that a nuclear family should be made up of 6 members....4 children and the 2 parents

Alicia says... said...

do Nigerians really have sex this much? lol

Anonymous said...

If we Nigerians as a whole do not get together to control our population explosion I guarantee you there will be more widespread poverty than you can ever imagine. It seems everybody is forgetting that resources are limited (water, housing space, jobs etc.) Meanwhile we all have dreams of living in a big house, with a luxury car, and a good job. I guess only a very few powerful people should achieve that and everyone else should live in squalor. How is that going to be possible when there are tens of thousands of people competing for one job slot? Graduates cannot find work. Already corruption is complicating things as it is. Arrogance and ignorance will cover peoples eyes and shut their brain down. Subsequently people will be struggling to go abroad because life is hard in naija and the papa and mama that gave birth to you can't take care of you. Every other country in Africa has a moderate population count except Nigerians but Nigerians will refuse to see it as a problem instead someone will say "we are the giant of Africa", "we are taking over the world". Please my people think this is nothing to be proud of.

Get Nigeria Jobs said...

If this is true then we are in trouble. We don't have enough amenities for such huge population. Our president needs to start making the economy and every other sector ready for such a time.

hater said...

Agree with you anonymous 8:43pm BUT na today???? as 9ice asked.

Anonymous said...

Abeg, where dem snap this picture??? Na for rheinhard boonke crusade???lol

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