To control rapid population growth, its associated problems
and achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stakeholders have called for
increased budgetary allocation to family planning as Nigeria joins the rest of
the work to mark 2017 World Population Day (WPD).
Speaking on this year’s WPD
theme, “Family Planning, Birth Spacing: Empowering People, Developing Nations,”
Chief Eze Duruiheoma, Chairman, National Population
Commission (NPC), said that family planning and birth spacing are measures to
attain a sustainable family size by way of allowing for adequate intervals
between births, employing especially the use of contraception.
Duruiheoma said, “Family
planning is not only about saving lives but also empowering people and
developing nations. “Family and birth spacing
are personal decisions but their profound implications on health, economic and
social wellbeing of the society are far reaching.
“That is why simple
individual decision has become a developmental agenda that must be addressed on
a sustainable.”
Nigeria’s population is
expected to surpass that of the U.S. by 2050, according to new UN projections
that the West African country could be the world’s third most populous country
by the end of this century. The 2013 NDHS results
indicate that the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is 5.5 births per woman. This means that, on
average, Nigerian women would give birth to 5.5 children by the end of their
childbearing years.
Meanwhile, the goal of the
National Policy on Population for Sustainable Development is to achieve a
reduction in the total fertility rate of at least 0.6 children every five years
according to statistics from National Population Commission, 2004.
In a report by Matt Lesso
on the Borgen project, Nigeria is struggling with over-population and most
residents of cities like Lagos live in severely overcrowded slums. Many houses and apartments
consist of just one room to house entire families. More than 50 people can
share a bathroom, sink and living space.
Youth unemployment in urban
areas is around 50 percent. This has fueled an increase in crime which is
rampant in many cities. This high level of youth
unemployment has also helped fuel the rise of militant groups like Boko Haram.
This is even as Nigeria’s
fertility rate is approximately 5.5 children per woman that is a woman can
still give birth to five or more children regardless of the means of providing
for them.
Many fear this rise in
population growth will fuel poverty, hunger and civil strife. But, the problems
will be particularly acute in Nigeria, according to experts. While some view this
increase in population as a potential for more economic growth and status as a
global hegemony, many others fear the population boom will cause the country to
collapse.
With family planning
population growth can be controlled starting with individual family deciding
how many children it can cater for, when to give birth to them and how to space
them.
Dr. Omasanjuwa Edun, the
Lagos State Team Leader of the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative
(NURHI) said that family planning is designed to help the family have quality
life contrary to speculations that it was instituted to discourage procreation. According to World Health
Organisation (WHO), Family planning reinforces people’s rights to determine the
number and spacing of their children.
Family planning can be used
to reduce maternal mortality which is currently at 555/100,000 live births in
Nigeria (NDHS 2013), the world health body says. By preventing unintended
pregnancy, family planning /contraception prevents deaths of mothers and
children. With a well-planned family,
parents are also able to take adequate care of children they already have.
Research has shown that
many Nigerians have negative perception of Family planning. Many have the
misconception that family planning is all about reducing expected number of
children to be born using risky medical interventions that can potentially
cause major complication in women such as infertility.
However, experts stress
that family planning simply provides a safe, affordable and effective way to
have children when you want them, and provide a period of ‘rest’ for mothers in
between pregnancies.
Commenting on this
recently, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, Wellbeing Foundation founder, explained: “Family
planning information and contraception is a fundamental human right, empowering
women to decide when and where to have a child, and how many children they wish
to bear, according to their circumstances.
“We recommend that mothers
space their childbirth by 1000 days, to better sustain the health and
socio-economic wellbeing of mother, child and family.”
To provide family planning
services, experts insist that the government needs to; increase funding for
Family Planning and ensure increase in budgetary allocations for FP/CBS in the
state to cover consumables, supplies and infrastructure, commodity, logistics,
management, training of skilled providers and demand creation.
Global World Population
Day is celebrated on July 11 every year. It is a global day to focus attention
on the urgency and importance of population issues and this year’s theme is
emphasising how access to safe, voluntary family planning is a human right. It
is also central to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
