- Nigeria Needs N234bn to Control Population Explosion – Minister
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, says Nigeria will need $652m (N234bn) to control its population growth which stands at 3.2 per cent per year.
The minister said this while delivering a lecture at the Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin Annual Memorial Lecture in Abuja on Monday.
The lecture was titled, ‘Implication of the Population of 190 million on economic development and health/wellbeing of future generations of Nigerians” in memory of Osotimehin, a former Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund who died last year.
Adewole added that there was an urgent need to boost Nigeria’s Contraceptives Prevalence Rate “as the birth rate which stands at 5.5 children per woman is too high.”
Adewole said the N234bn proposal was part of the ‘Business Case for investment in Family Planning in Nigeria,’ a project designed to trigger a sustainability path for the family planning programme through evidence-based interventions.
He said this would help the country to reach the health and economic developmental goals in line with the FP2020, Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030 goals.
The minister added, “To reach the set CPR target by 2020, Nigeria requires $652m over the next five years to invest in high-impact family planning interventions including the contraceptives.
“This investment would have enormous benefits: estimated $1.40 would be saved on maternal and newborn health care for every dollar invested in family planning and another $4 would be saved on treating complications of unplanned pregnancies resulting in 30,000 maternal deaths and 5.19 million unplanned pregnancies averted and cost saving of $1.02bn.”
Adewole said with over 190 million people, vigorous awareness creation about the essence of moderate family size, especially in rural areas had become particularly necessary.
He called on religious and traditional leaders to support the government in promoting family planning especially the use of contraceptives.
