BIRTH RATE IN RELATION TO UNEMPLOYMENT

The next main problem Nigeria is facing today after bad government is unemployment. Unemployment in Nigeria today is as a result of a variety of factors, but my discussion here will centre on high birth rate. From series of researches all over Nigeria, the population of graduates (even first class) that Nigeria dishes out every year highly overwhelms the job market not even considering the non-graduates. It is said that the labour market has truly exceeded its carrying capacity for able potentials seeking employment and about 80% of available vacancies are reserved for either those with special connections or high level work experience, even those experienced jobs comes with low salary scale.

With everything that is going on today especially the high level of internally displaced individuals, the terrorist organizations and a lot to jobless individuals wandering around aimlessly and helplessly, it is safe to say that Nigeria is overpopulated. Based on my personal research, I was able to discover that Nigeria has a very high birth rate; over five hundred children are being born daily. The words “increase and multiply to fill the earth” was truly taken quite literally and seriously as Nigerian people tend to give birth anyhow without truly planning for anything; most of these births occur in the north. These children being born, 70% of their parents do not plan for them. Imagine that a family that finds it quite difficult to have a complete three squared meal gives birth to five children, what do you really think the fate of these kids is to become? If every one of us decides to sit down and critically think about the issue, I believe a solution is one the way.

If the birthrate continues to increase exponentially without an equal or higher level of improvement in the economic growth rate and development of a country, it would definitely lead to population explosion (i.e. when the number of individuals in a population exceeds the country's carrying capacity). This would also cause a complete destruction of a country's economy as well as the rules and regulations guiding the nation. What I mean here is that there will be lesser legal forms of employment leading to an increase in crime rate such as destruction of properties, stealing and other forms of illegal means of survival (man must survive by any means necessary!).

My idea of what should be done about this problem is for the government to appeal to the conscience of prospective parents by advising them on having a maximum of two to three children in every home because the fewer the number of children in a home the easier it is to care for them and also place full attention on them. Education and training of the masses is also a way to enlighten these individuals of the consequences of their choices. Most of the people in Nigeria are ignorant, the masses need to be educated on the importance and benefits of family planning to enable them know the size of the family they are to build. These activities help ensure a nation's sustenance. These information needs to come from the government and be implemented in a way as to support its acceptance and recognition.