Nigeria and the rise in population

Our growing population is a success story. This growth is attributable, on the one hand, to improvement in human survival associated with the application of modern medical science to health matters, better sanitation and immunisation of children, which have caused the death rate to decrease. The rise of urbanisation has also had an effect. Less importance is based on the traditional beliefs about the value of children, particularly sons, as an asset to be relied upon by their parents in agricultural production and to support them during old age and when high child mortality and low levels of rural female education encouraged high fertility. The fall in the influence of religions, which teach that children are gifts from God has also lowered the birth rate. 

There are exceptions such as Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa.Nigeria has a population load factor that weighs too heavily on its meagre resources to guarantee the welfare of the citizens sincethe basic needs of the people are not adequately catered for, exacerbation of poverty is inevitable. 

Nigeria’s fundamental problem can be attributed to weak institutional framework, that is rule of law, weak governance, civil liberties etc, corruption, low investment in education and health, gender parity etc and not rapid population growth. It would be more appropriate for Nigeria to focus on policies that enhance living standards, rather than controlling population growth directly.

https://www.academia.edu/14824665/population_dynamics_and_economic_growth_in_Nigeria