I came across this article in Reuters and I'd like to share with readers. It is quite long but here are the main points of the article:

The Nigerian population is growing at 11,000 a day. Current population is 170 million and according to the global Population Reference Bureau (PRB), by 2050, it will be the world's fourth most populous country, with 400 million people. Such growth could either spur economic prosperity of create a crisis of poverty and unrest.

While business leaders (especially retailers of fast-moving consumer goods) are excited about the potentially huge market, it is not clear whether Nigeria can turn a growing population into a richer society with higher living standards.

Despite these potentials, demographers fear a crisis of poverty and social upheaval could offset any gains from the birth of new consumers. With population rising at 2.4 percent per year, skeptics fear increasing number of jobless and uneducated youths threatens the stability of a country already plagued with Islamist uprising in the north and oil theft, piracy, and kidnapping by criminal gangs in the south.

Few investment funds like Renaissance Capital believe African demographics will spur an economic transformation or the sort seen in Asia. The population growth will provide opportunities for retailers and the auto industry, for which demographic data suggests Africa will be overtaking China within two generations.

The government has for decades tried to curb population growth through family planning, but the message isn't resonating with the poorly educated population, many living in remote areas, that value having many children, officials say.

Room for optimism? Those who take a bullish view of Nigeria's economic future argue that its growth can still eventually lift the society out of poverty. Charles Robertson at the Renaissance Capital says over a third of children go to secondary school, compared with just 7 percent in 1975. He also thinks that as Nigeria and Africa become more prosperous, population growth will naturally slow.

For skeptics and some demographers, a change in reproductive behavior and attitude is needed to slow the population growth.

Share your thoughts...

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/04/will-nigerian-baby-boom-feed-prosperity.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/09/us-africa-summit-population-idUSBRE9380DH20130409

Most Nigerians think that strength are in numbers, but that is sheer fallacy..

adconline: Most Nigerians think that strength are in numbers, but that is sheer fallacy..

Number could be either good or bad, depending on what we make of it. I'm afraid that in our case, its on the not so good side as we still lack infrastructure to support the growing number.

A serious problem indeed, family planning should be high priority for the Nigerian government. Over 300million hungry bellies isn't a threat only to nigeria, but the whole world, as we see overcrowded Nigeria forces many nigerians to move abroad, with many doing illegal activities in the countries they immigrate to.

prymesolution:

Number could be either good or bad, depending on what we make of it. I'm afraid that in our case, its on the not so good side as we still lack infrastructure to support the growing number.

Number in terms of quantity not quality. Is it better to have one or 2 kids N adequately provide for them or to have as many kids and not adequately provide for them, and hope that one of them becomes a Nollywood/Soccer star and takes care of the whole family?
My question to these families that have a lot of kids. If you have a boy and a girl in your marriage, what is it that you are hoping to accomplish by having more kids? What joy do you derive in having more kids that you would not have been able to enjoy by having fewer kids?

adconline:
Number in terms of quantity not quality. Is it better to have one or 2 kids N adequately provide for them or to have as many kids and not adequately provide for them, and hope that one of them becomes a Nollywood/Soccer star and takes care of the whole family?
My question is this to families that have a lot of kids? If you have a boy and a girl in your marriage, what is it that you are hoping to accomplish by napping more kids? What joy do you derive in having more kids that you would not be able to enjoy by having fewer kids?

Well said. The problem with Nigerians is the backward cultural mindset. They think that having a lot of children will allow them to live a rich life in old age. They forget that if they are not able to raise children that will tomorrow grow into adults that can fend for themselves, they the parents will equally suffer. We see a lot of cases of adults who cannot even find money to give their late parents a befitting burial because they don't have. If their parents had sent them to good schools, the case would have been different.

adconline:
Number in terms of quantity not quality. Is it better to have one or 2 kids N adequately provide for them or to have as many kids and not adequately provide for them, and hope that one of them becomes a Nollywood/Soccer star and takes care of the whole family?
My question to these families that have a lot of kids. If you have a boy and a girl in your marriage, what is it that you are hoping to accomplish by having more kids? What joy do you derive in having more kids that you would not have been able to enjoy by having fewer kids?

Very well said...It couldn't have been more clearly stated.

I completely agree with you on the need to educate folks on family planning. I know its an uphill battle as it seem like the poorest nations tend to have the most kids (my opinion).

It has both good and bad sides.
On the good side, there's a burgeoning labor force and consumer market to tap into. On the bad side, since jobs are not being created at the rate the population is growing, there's a fear of a gradual descent into anarchy.

Though it's not as bad as it sounds: the economy is actually growing. Nonetheless, there is a need to control the population to some extent. We need to have something like a single-child bill in place, with incentives for those who comply. Maybe some free tuition or medical care for their kids up to a particular cap.

There is strength in numbers, for those who know how to tap into it.

It is a disaster in the making unless visionary leaders arise who can properly channel & make this growth a blessing
The hardest hit regions will be in Northern Nigeria

This should be a call to action for any serious government. Laying the foundation for a reliable and sustainable infrastructure to support the population growth is essential to our survival.