Chioma Umeha

Recently, the news of a husband of a 35-year-old woman, Mrs. Queen Udekwe, based in Benin, Edo State, who previously had a set of twins absconded after she was delivered of triplets made the rounds in the media. The report has it that her husband fled immediately he discovered the children through the result of a scan conducted while his wife was still pregnant and vowed not to return home. Several reactions greeted the development with many Nigerians condemning the action of the escapee husband. Some schools of thought reasoned that the birth of the triplets is a divine blessing and not a curse. Therefore, they saw it as an act of wickedness and ingratitude to God for the man to abscond from his family. Some others, who reacted differently to the situation, said, it was a sign of high fertility rate in the couple. Whichever perspective one decides to view, the issue throws up high fertility as one of the main causes of overpopulation problems. The case of Udek

It is not news that family planning protects the health of women and children as well as reduces ugly risky overpopulation burdens by helping a family to plan and responsibly fulfill its parental roles. The media is replete with many reports which X- rays the roles of family planning in population control, more so in view of the newest Nigeria’s population figures. Nigeria’s population has risen to 201 million in 2019, according to the latest State of World Population Report released recently by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Nigeria is considered the populous country in Africa, yet it is only the fourth largest African nation in arable land area. Nigeria’s annual growth rate of 2.8 % means the population is growing by nearly three million people every year. Nigeria is considered the populous country in Africa, yet it is only the fourth largest African nation in arable land area. Nigeria’s annual growth rate of 2.8  percent means the population is growi

It has become glaring to all stakeholders in every sector of the Nigerian economy that the Nigerian huge population, which supposed to serve as strength to the nation, has the tendency to sabotage government policies on economic growth and development. According to the 2018 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) report, if fertility were to remain constant at current levels, a woman in Nigeria would bear an average of 5.3 children in her lifetime. While fertility is low among adolescents (107 births per 1,000 women), the report revealed that it peaks at 256 births per 1,000 among women aged from 25 to 59 years and fertility is higher among rural women than among urban women. On average, rural women will give birth to about 1.4 children more than urban women during their reproductive years (5.9 And 4.5, respectively). Meanwhile, family planning which refers to a conscious effort by a couple to limit or space the number of children they have through the use of co

When Udeme Akpa got admitted into secondary school, the joy of the parents knew no bounds.  For them, it was like a prayer answered. As the first daughter of a family of eight, there were so many expectations including lifting the family from what could be described as ‘age-long poverty.’ Udeme, 18, was living up to expectation until the unexpected occurred.  Her woes began one evening when a man in her neighborhood gave her a ride to school. Little did she know that the few minutes ride would later become a stumbling block to her life’s dream.  A few months later, the same man identified as Mr. Udoh invited Udeme to his house, but she turned him down.  After much persuasion, Udeme accepted to visit him. Sadly, innocent Udeme never knew she was playing with fire until he visited Udoh.  On that fateful Friday, Udeme decided to visit him. Sadly, she was raped by the same man whom she thought showed her kindness. Subsequently, she had unprotected sex with Udoh. Unf

The world has spent nearly a quarter of a century wondering whether Africa’s most widely used birth control method could make women more likely to contract HIV. Now, new research, conducted in four countries, including South Africa, has solved the riddle. The three-month shot Depo-Provera does not increase a woman's risk of HIV infection; prove the results of the Evidence for Contraceptive Options and HIV Outcomes (Echo) study. The findings were released at the South African Aids Conference in Durban Thursday and published in The Lancet. For decades, it was like there was a spectre among the data - something researchers thought they saw but couldn't entirely be sure. From South Africa to Tanzania, studies kept picking up what seemed like an association between the widely used three-month birth control shot marketed as Depo-Provera and HIV infection. A 2016 review of nearly three dozen studies published in the journal Aids suggested Depo-Provera users could be