Child birth rate, Insecurity, and Economic Growth
Does an increase in birth rate cause insecurity and hamper economic growth?
My simple answer is yes.
We encourage our people to marry as many wives as they wish and bear as many children as they desire, knowing fully well they cannot take care of them. Now, we’re complaining of insecurity and child trafficking?
Few days back, a man, from Obi local government in Nassarawa State, who married 5 wives and bore 23 children tried to sell one of his children for N5M.
When accosted, he said it was poverty that made him marry plenty of wives and that same poverty led him into selling his child.
Do you know what it means for a father to sell his child?
Couldn’t this have been avoided?
Do you think insurgents will have children and young adults to recruit if we bear children we can afford to train and give better lives?
The other day, some children from the North were said to be found in the East. Probably sold or kidnapped and their captors planning to traffick them.
If I may even ask?
What are the advantages of having too many children?
To farm?
To make money for the parents?
What are the advantages of Almajiris?
Political gains?
We are no longer in that era my people.
This is the message every sensible government and leader should make their priority now for the betterment of our future.
My people say, “Muo ka iga azu”, meaning, give birth to a number you can train.
It’s in the past that our forefathers will want more children so there could be more hands for their farming business.
Today, technology is doing most of the work.
Let us start preaching to every family to be weary of bringing children they cannot take care of.
Stop relying on the wealth of a family member to bare children biko. They also have their own challenges.
Today, even the Super rich give birth to few children.
The government should be promoting family planning instead of gagging of social media.
They should start promoting family planning ruggedly.
Our population is our problem.
Some well-developed countries in Asia had to make laws that limit the number of children one family can have. Today, they’re better of.
If not for selfish political interest, why can’t our government do the same?
A stitch in time they say saves nine.
The sooner we understand that majority of our problem lies in our population, the better for us.
Today, we can no longer be compared to India, Indonesia, I don’t even want to call China.
These people have more population than us, yes, but they’re producing nations. Nigeria is still a consuming nation.
This is why it is hard for the government to survive without borrowing.
Money that is supposed to be utilized in building infrastructure today is channeled to fighting insurgents, paying workers (not even a living wage). Do you know the number of security personnel in government payroll alone, yet, experts will tell you they’re not even enough considering our population.
We should stop all this back and forth policies and start making laws that will help this country in the long run.
Trader moni or whatever they call it cannot save Nigeria.
As a matter of fact, that peanut money they’re sharing will not add more than 2% value to any family.
I was one of those speaking against that initiative by this government, today, what effect has it brought to our economy? They’re even accusing those running the program of corruption.
If only we know how much was spent through that initiative.
If we have to go back to the drawing table, by all means, we should.
Nigeria can only be good for all of us.
You might be in power today and feel less concern, but tomorrow is pregnant, and no one knows what it might deliver. Especially, when you’re not working towards receiving a good result.
It shouldn’t be about the government that will take the glory, it should be about having a better Nigeria in the nearest future.
To a better Nigeria.
– Francis Nwokike
Also Read: How Government Frustrates SMEs
