FAMILY PLANNING AS AN AGENT OF BIRTH CONTROL IN LAPAI LOCAL AREA OF NIGER STATE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The practice of birth control or preventing pregnancy is as old as man. Humans from existence have been enjoying the gift of procreation; they have been fruitful and multiplying. This human multiplication or increase has allowed the people to live together in a particular area, city or country forming their population. However, the population of people in a given country should be controlled to avoid over population which can in turn have an adversely effect on the country’s resources and as well boast an increase in maternal mortality. Experts observed that high rate of any given population pose tremendous socio-economic problems for the maintenance of minimal standards of living. Therefore, to avoid a country being overpopulated, it will be necessary to encourage the citizens to have the number of children they can manage. Osakue (2010) might be right when he said that if the nation’s population is left to grow uncontrolled, that the national resources will sooner or later be outstripped by the increasing demand of the growing population. For centuries, humans have relied upon their imagination to avoid pregnancy.
All over African continent, plans, projects and programme are designed to provide high quality family planning counselling to the populace. Many Nigerians have resorted to the use of family planning to control fertility, more so some believe it is not necessary to control the number of children a family should have and this has been frustrating the efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria in formulating birth control and family planning policy in the country. Experts observe that some Nigerians believe that it should be left for the family to decide the number of children they should have while others were of the opinion that the number of children a family should have depend on the income level of the family. It is assumed that a rich family should have greater number of children than the poor or average family but on the contrary, it is the poor family that have the greater number of children with their little income to carter for the family and as a result of that many children are sent to the streets to hawk, some are sent out of their home as house helps where they face some kind of abuses etc.
The provision of family planning is a key means by which two of the Millennium Development Goals (a reduction of under-5 mortality rates by two-thirds and maternal mortality rates by three-quarters by 2015) may be achieved. Experts observed that reducing both unplanned and higher risk pregnancies is a way of reducing both maternal and infant mortality. They further stated that voluntary family planning has profound health, economic, and social benefits for families and communities, protecting the health of women by reducing unwanted or high risk of pregnancies, protecting the health of children by allowing sufficient time between pregnancies, reducing abortions, supporting women’s rights and opportunities for education, employment and full participation in society and protecting the environment by stabilizing population growth.
Today, the voluntary control of fertility is of paramount importance to modern society. This was probably the fear of Obinna (2011) when he laments on the global perspective countries currently facing the crisis of rapid growth of human survival population that has begun to threaten human survival. Studies have shown that Nigeria as the most populous country in Africa has been among the seventeen most populated countries on earth with an estimation of 160- 170 million people, and also has the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. This has been attributed to the inability of Nigerian women to adequately use family planning and birth control methods to assist them in successfully spacing of their children. They further observed that Nigerian population exceeds that of Russia and is more than twice the population of Germany and that the Nigerian population has been projected to grow so rapidly that Nigeria may have over 400 million people by the year 2015.
In an attempt to remedy the situation, some researchers reviewed that the Federal Government of Nigeria in 1988 and 2001, adopted the National Population Policy and National Reproductive Health Policy respectively, both of which seek to achieve quality reproductive and sexual health for all Nigerians. The policies were developed to address the unacceptable rate of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality in Nigeria as well as creating awareness on the use of family planning services. The policy also sought to ensure that every man and woman has the opportunity to obtain and use any contraceptives of their choice “at the right place, at the right time, and at the right cost.
Also in 2002, the Federal Government of Nigeria came out with a population policy paper which states that the value of family planning and child spacing on the stability and wellbeing of the family shall be promoted and family services shall be incorporated in maternal and child health care. Since the policy paper of 2002 did not succeed, on June 29th 2012, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan made headlines that caused controversy on the need for “birth control legislation” in lines of China’s one child policy. Jonathan has recommended that the newly formed National Population Commission should pursue a campaign of “advocacy” and “sensitization” to promote birth control and the idea of child spacing. This is not the first time someone influential has proposed such a policy for Nigeria. Last year, American economist Jeffrey Sachs suggested that “Nigeria should work towards attaining a maximum of three children per family,” an idea that also drew criticism and debate.
The aim of the formulation of population policy in Nigeria is to reduce rapid population growth as well as maternal, infant morbidity and mortality. In Nigeria, family planning and birth control can improve the likelihood of survival of life of the populace at all stages. Commenting on the importance of family planning in Nigeria, Julius Neyerere cited in Centre for Disease Control (1983) said that, It is important for human beings to put emphasis on caring for children and the ability to look after them properly, rather than thinking only about the number of children and the ability to give birth. For it often happens that man’s ability to give birth is greater than their ability to bring up the children. In view of this, the study seek to investigate family planning as an agent of birth control in Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State.
1.2 Statement Of The Problems
Even though Nigeria as country has embraced family planning as an agent of birth control and has integrated it into its primary health care system like the rest of the world, family planning matters are arguably still very thorny and thin-skinned in Africa, particularly in Nigeria. Unfortunately, before the enactment of the policy, issues, particularly, the use of birth control and family planning methods presumably to predict on the right of couples and individuals to decide fully the number and spacing of their children remains a great concern. These controversies have been hindering the success of family planning as an agent of birth control in the country, a lot of Nigerians have been determined to control fertility but could not do so because they have no access to information on modern birth control methods which results in uncontrolled increase in population. The Nigerian population is the highest in Africa at over 200 million, with a growth rate of 2.9 and a Total Fertility Rate of 5.7 (Population Council, 2011; World Bank, 2009, Federal Government of Nigeria, 2004; National Population Commission (NPC) Nigeria 2009). The NDHS report of 2018 shows that only 14.6% of currently married women aged 15-49 in Nigeria use any method of contraception (Nigerian Population Commission, 2008). This is in spite of the existence of the national policy on population and sustainable development which encourages voluntary limitation of births to 4 children per woman as well as various family planning programmes that have been carried out in the country (Federal Government of Nigeria 2004). It is against this problems that this study seek to investigate family planning as an agent of birth control in Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State.
1.3 Objective of the Study
The general objective of the study is to examine family planning as an agent of birth control in Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State.
The specific objectives of the study include:
- To investigate respondents knowledge of Family Planning
- To explore the attitude of family towards family planning
- To identify the rreasons for not using any family planning method
- To examine the impact of family planning on birth control in Lapai Local Government Area
1.4 Research Questions
- Do you have a prior knowledge of Family Planning
- What is the attitude of family towards family planning
- What are the various the reasons for not using any family planning method
- What is the impact of family planning on birth control in Lapai Local Government Area
1.5 Significance of the Study
The study on family planning as an agent of birth control is therefore, significant in many aspects. The world’s population is growing at an exponential rate especially in the sub-sahara Africa which if nothing is done will pose a great threat to sustainable development and human existence as a whole, therefore the findings of this study will of great significant to Families, Lapai Local government and other stakeholders as it will enlighten them on the relevance of family planning on birth control in Lapai local government and Nigeria at large.
This study therefore, will greatly help in creating awareness, knowledge as well as understanding on family planning and birth control services in the country. Findings from this study would enlighten the populace on the need for family planning and birth control in the country aimed at reducing rapid population growth that poses a major hindrance to economic development in the country.
Secondly, the study will contribute to the existing literature on the application of family planning and birth control in the country. It will also help to enhance the use of family planning as an agent of birth control.