By Chioma Umeha
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 fuelled 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.
