There are too many of us Nigerians. Waaaaaay to many, and more and more are being added everyday. The number of people and our growth rate is alarming and the population is growing unchecked. People still have 4,6 to 8 kids and they have no means to care for all these children that they have. These are the people that end up on the streets as beggars, prostitutes, armed robbers and kidnappers.

I had a conversation with a lady selling roasted corn and I was surprised at her way of thinking. She had 6 kids, none in school and she was pregnant again. I asked her why she was having so many children and how she planned to train them, She said if she doesn't have more her husband will pursue her from the house. I asked if he contributes to their welfare and she said no. So how can he chase you out? You are the breadwinner!

We need to do something to control our population fast as our resources are being squandered and cannot cater for all of us much longer.

What exactly is your point?

That every armed robber out there is from a large family whose parents are not able to meet his or her needs?

Or are you saying that a small family can't breed armed robbers?

If that's what you are saying then I say with all sincerity that you have no point.

For your info, Nigeria has more than enough resources to cater for its population and more.

Our problem is not a dearth of natural resources nor is it that of population but one of quality and selfless 'managers' of the economy.

I fully agree wit u on that dear.
I have had this discussion with some people n dey still believe d resources is enough....
I pray Nigerians listen, the religious bodies have this responsibility because d black man fears his pastor/imam more than any other person.

striktlymi:
What exactly is your point?

That every armed robber out there is from a large family whose parents are not able to meet his or her needs?

Or are you saying that a small family can't breed armed robbers?

If that's what you are saying then I say with all sincerity that you have no point.

For your info, Nigeria has more than enough resources to cater for its population and more.

Our problem is not a dearth of natural resources nor is it that of population but one of quality and selfless 'managers' of the economy.

It is not just about our leaders. A lot of people do not see the need to educate their children even in areas where education is free. Case in point, my maid from Cross river state told me that in their place it is very common for unmarried ladies to have up to 7 kids. Also school is optional for these many children. Imagine if as a child you had the option of not going to school!

We all know the number of "calabar people" in lagos doing house girl and menial jobs because there is no information and seemingly no way out. Have you ever met a person who has no way out? Nothing to live for and nothing to lose? I have, and he became a drug pusher.

Our population is growing to fast and overpopulation is a big deal.

Daresh:


It is not just about our leaders. A lot of people do not see the need to educate their children even in areas where education is free. Case in point, my maid from Cross river state told me that in their place it is very common for unmarried ladies to have up to 7 kids. Also school is optional for these many children. Imagine if as a child you had the option of not going to school!

We all know the number of "calabar people" in lagos doing house girl and menial jobs because there is no information and seemingly no way out. Have you ever met a person who has no way out? Nothing to live for and nothing to lose? I have, and he became a drug pusher.

Our population is growing to fast and overpopulation is a big deal.

Having a large family is not the sole reason why people take to crime. You are referring to two different things here. It is one thing for a country to be overpopulated and another for a parent to have kids he or she cannot take care of.

A country like America cannot be said to be overpopulated irrespective of the fact that their population is over 300million and they have their own share of parents who aren't capable of meeting the financial needs of their children.

There are a lot of factors that come to play before you can readily determine a country that has a population crisis. Nigeria is far from meeting the criteria needed for that.

I can give you loads of stories of people who took to crime despite coming from a relatively small family. Take a look at the developed world, a lot of the families are small but does that put a stop to crime? The answer is a definite NO!!!

striktlymi:


Having a large family is not the sole reason why people take to crime. You are referring to two different things here. It is one thing for a country to be overpopulated and another for a parent to have kids he or she cannot take care of.

A country like America cannot be said to be overpopulated irrespective of the fact that their population is over 300million and they have their own share of parents who aren't capable of meeting the financial needs of their children.

There are a lot of factors that come to play before you can readily determine a country that has a population crisis. Nigeria is far from meeting the criteria needed for that.

I can give you loads of stories of people who took to crime despite coming from a relatively small family. Take a look at the developed world, a lot of the families are small but does that put a stop to crime? The answer is a definite NO!!!

America is about 50 times the size of Nigeria. Nigeria does not have enough going on to engage our population. A small family size does not guarantee crime free society but from my experience a parent is more likely to be attentive to the children when the strain on resources is not too tight.

Our population is too high that is why there have been attempts to tame it. That is why birth control is free. That is why birth control training is given to mothers before immunization, to try and tame the population growth.

Daresh:


America is about 50 times the size of Nigeria. Nigeria does not have enough going on to engage our population. A small family size does not guarantee crime free society but from my experience a parent is more likely to be attentive to the children when the strain on resources is not too tight.

Our population is too high that is why there have been attempts to tame it. That is why birth control is free. That is why birth control training is given to mothers before immunization, to try and tame the population growth.

America is actually about 10 times the size of Nigeria.

I don't think basing an argument on the land mass would really help us here, except for cases which are rather straightforward. Take the following for example:

As at 2013 the population figures for the following countries stood at:

USA...................316,500,000
UK.................... 64,100,000
NIG...................173,600,000

Their respective land masses are:

USA.................9,857,306 km²
UK..................243,610 km²
NIG.................923,768 km²

From the above we could derive the population per square kilometre thus:

USA............32 people/km²

UK..............263 people/km²

NIG............187 People/km²

If we are to go by your thought process, it would imply that relative to Nigeria, the United Kingdom is over populated; since the ratio of people to land mass is higher than that of Nigeria.

You and I know that the UK has a thriving economy and they are not close to being over populated when we talk in terms of some economic indices like the GDP, Per capita income etc.

Nigeria doesn't have enough to engage our population? Are you sure you know about this country called Nigeria? I assure you that very few countries can survive the level of abuse the Nigerian economy has suffered and still live to talk about it.

Nigeria is a land flowing with milk and honey. We are blessed with both human and natural resources. I shyt you not when I say that Nigeria has enough to go on even if we decide to have a crude-free economy.

The only challenge we have is that successive governments have been so blinded by the wealth derived from the sale of crude oil that they have practically neglected other potential areas of growth for the economy.

I agree that more kids, necessarily imply more work for the parents but this does not mean more kids breed more criminals. Its all a matter of choice and responsible parenting.

Sweetheart, birth control as it is used in Nigeria is not as a result of over population. It is more related to the Structural Adjustment Programme, which in a nutshell states that Nigerians need to be content with their thieving government without complaint, than it is to any bid to control the population.

The developed world are neck deep into this so called 'birth control' thingy. Is that too because they are overpopulated? Definitely not! Also check out the result of this 'population control measure' for them...yes, under-population and under-utilization of their economic resources. Why do you think the US started the America visa lottery programme? I am sure you know its not because they love us.