By IJEOMA UKAZU
Nigeria remains one of the countries with high Total Fertility Rate, TFR, which is, the total number of children birthed by an average Nigerian woman but to curb this, there is need for increased use of family planning commodities.
The population of Nigeria is currently projected to be 206.23 million and the fertility rate is put at 5.3 which means, an average Nigerian woman gives birth to five children as compared with the global figure of 2.3 with a population of 7.8 billion.
Reproductive health experts have said that involving men in family planning strategies would contribute to reducing Nigeria’s high fertility rate. In Nigeria, which is known as a patriarchal society, the influence of men on fertility behaviour is seen in many ways. For instance, men usually make decisions about the number of children a woman will have.
Other factors includes; sociocultural norms, beliefs, preferences and perceptions.
According to World Population Data Sheet, nearly all population growth is in developing countries. Recently in a forum, family planning advocates said that, accessibility of family planning commodities will assist women in spacing each pregnancy.
Mrs Idowu Thomas, a petty trader and mother of four living in the Ogba area of Lagos State said family planning is a life saver.
Recounting her ordeal, Mrs Thomas said, she almost lost her life while giving birth to her second child.
“I almost died in the delivery room while giving birth to my second child, a son. My first, a girl, was just six months when I got pregnant for the second child. It was God that saved my life that period.
“After the birth of my son, I was advised by the mid-wife at the Primary Healthcare Centre to opt for family planning. The mid-wife told me that family planning will help me space my children, reduce the risk of dying from unplanned pregnancy and give birth to the number of children I can cater for as well as attain my goals in life.
“The mid-wife added that family planning would also give me the enabling environment to succeed in my business and as well empower me economically and financially.”
Thomas would have added to the alarming list of Nigeria’s Maternal Mortality Rate, MMR at 512 per 100,000 live births according to 2018 NDHS making Nigeria second highest in the world.
The Program Officer Reproductive Health and Family Planning, Pathfinder International Nigeria, Yusuf Nuhu said, going by current fertility rate, our population will double to over 400 million by 2050 according to the Population Data Sheet.
Nuhu added that, Nigeria needs adequate planning and interventions as it is experiencing rapid population growth, with a lot of people under the younger age group than working age group. This large young population will continue to increase the fertility.
But with fewer births each year and decline in fertility, Nuhu said, “Nigeria can have the reverse. More working adults than children. In this period with more workers than dependants, a window of opportunity presents itself for accelerated economic development.”
Also commenting Dr. Sakina Amin-Bello, Senior Programme Advisor, Reproductive Health, Pathfinder International Nigeria said, due to high demand for children as a cultural, traditional, social norm, early marriage; high unmet need for family planning, the fertility rate of Nigeria has continue to go high.
According to her, all the aforementioned has ill effect on maternal health especially if the births are not adequately spaced, it affects physical, mental and social well being of women and children.
The Reproductive Health expert said, for the children, the risk of mortality in infancy and early childhood is greater for closely spaced births and for the mother, high risk of haemorrhaging and mortality.
To curb this, she said, “the higher the contraceptive use, the lower the fertility rate. So, to reduce the high fertility in Nigeria, there is a need to increase uptake of family planning services among women of reproductive age.
Reeling out some useful strategies, Amin-Bello said, sustained advocacy to government for funding and enabling policy environment to reduce barriers to family planning access to the barest minimum as well as more demand generation for family planning.