Nigeria faces surging population amid lagging family services

ABUJA, NIGERIA — Nigeria's population is on track to hit 377 million people by 2050, highlighting the  need for reproductive health services. But cultural and religious barriers often complicate access to contraception, causing economic and maternal health issues. 

Philomena Okoduwa knows this struggle well. Once against family planning, she now supports six children with her meager income from petty trading. 

She regrets not embracing family planning sooner. 

"Things are very bad for us, even to take care of basic needs is a struggle," she said. "I wished I knew about family planning earlier, I wouldn't have had so many children, but maybe two or three." 

The World Bank reports Nigeria's fertility rate is 5.3 births per woman, much higher than the global average. Furthermore, 23% of married women lack contraception, according to the Guttmacher Institute. 

Religion, culture, and limited access act as barriers. 

Cannon Dauda, a Christian cleric, and Ejike Orji, a family planning advocate, explain how these factors impact decisions. 

"Some believe that you give birth as much as you can and whatever God permits to be alive, he will provide for them," Dauda said. 

Orji points out that Nigerians have a hard time finding contraceptives. 

"Nigerian women are saying, 'I want family planning,' but they are not getting the services," he said. "As we speak now, because the federal government did not put money for commodity purchase, they are stocked out across the country." 

The 2024 World Population Day promotes family planning as a human right. 

Orji stresses that barriers to birth control violate women's rights and increase maternal health risks. 

"Because of lack of proper family planning services, a lot of women are having pregnancies they don't want to have," he said. "We have also seen if women have frequent babies, their bodies do not recover properly because a lot of our women are sub-anemic. … The only thing that can stop all of these is appropriate planning services." 

High fertility rates also strain Nigeria's economy. 

Abuja-based economist Paul Alaje warns of the consequences. 

"In the case of Nigeria, where resources are very scarce, poverty is high, where hunger and deprivation seem to be evident, continuing in high fertility rate may be a recipe for disaster," he said. "If you look at out-of-school children now, it's in millions, now tens of millions. And if you look at [the] poverty level, it is very high, especially among women and children." 

Funding for family planning remains inadequate. The Nigerian government’s plan aims to raise the rate of contraceptive use from 19% to 27% in the coming years, but more resources are needed. 

Experts say improved funding and access can significantly reduce maternal mortality and empower women, as well as the nation.