The Population Factor in Nigeria’s Development Dilemma

Abstract

The extensive and elaborate development plans that were drawn shortly after independence to fast track development in Nigeria has not achieve the desired goal. It is as a result of this that Nigeria is among the poorest and less developed Nations of the world. Despite multi-dimensional and sectoral reforms of successive Governments, the country is still far away from being a developing Nation. The country is stagnated, retrograded and not showing signs of growth despite large sums of revenue generated from oil and other sources. It is the contention of this paper that there is a crucial relationship between population and its growth rate and the developmental aspiration of the country. It is the conception that since population has been identified as a crucial factor in socio-political and economic development of any area, it has very potent effect on the development of Nigeria. This assertion is anchored on the idea that large populations and fast growing population deciminate resources and heightens the momentum of under development as it consumes available resources in services and products required by the population. The step towards changing this trend is a conscious efforts at checking the population growth rate and utilizing efficiently the existing population in productive activities, By so doing, the unemployment, reduction in Agricultural production and over utilization of resources on providing services for the growing or young population will be overcome.