SOCIAL FACTORS INFLUENCING DECISION-MAKING RELATED TO FERTILITY CONTROL IN NIGERIA.
Anum O.J.1,Hulugh P.K1, Dooior D 2, & Zawua T.P 3
1Department of Sociology, Benue State University, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria
2 Benue State Schools of Nursing and Midwifery Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.
3 Department of Biological Science, College of Science, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue
E-mail: ornguj@yahoo.com;zawua2014@gmail.com; akpoohulugh@yahoo.com
Abstract: Control over the timing and number of children continues to be a challenge for many developing countries including Nigeria today. As the population keeps increasing, the level of demand also increases and this brings about inflation of useful agricultural products or resources. The demands of these resources make people sold out their products quickly and share their money on basic human needs like building of houses, educational training of children, clothing and consumables for tackling hunger, thus make acute poverty take over for the cost of these maintenances. There is also competition on the limited resources available like farm lands for agricultural practices, economic trees, sand for building and construction, gravel sands, etc all resulting from high population experienced. Deforestation is noted due to farm activities or limited spaces for farming and boosting of commercial activities, housing and transportation parks. Because of natural increase in fertility in Nigeria led to born of social vices such as political thuggery, gangsterism, disputes due to uncontrolled population, assassinations, militia exploitations emanating from illiteracy, poverty and drugs addiction, arson, prostitution (commercial sex worker) child labour as hawkers. Much of these problems could be prevented through effective social fertility control strategy. This paper examines the concept of fertility control, empirical evidence of fertility control in Nigeria, Malthusian theory of population growth, social barriers to fertility control in Nigeria and the national population policy in Nigeria. The article also recommends that effort should be intensified on enlightenment campaign in order to remove all barriers affecting decision-making against fertility control.