News in Short - World 0212

Written By: ECJ Staff  |  Posted: Friday, July 22nd, 2011

Nigeria Proud of High Birth Rates

            As the world population nears 7 billion, much attention has been turned on the "problem" of overpopulation. Nigeria has a different outlook on its growing citizenry. With the average fertility rate of 4.7 children per household, they don't seem too concerned with the overpopulation propaganda.  "We Nigerians are rejoicing," said Chinwuba Iyizoba, a native Nigerian, to MercatorNet. "Africans love children." Instead of a liability, the Nigerians look at children as an asset. Elderly Nigerians do not have pensions or socialist programs to support them. Iyizoba explains, "Having more children means a better pension." Nigerians are not very impressed with their industrialized, 1-2 children household nations that encourage them to limit their families.  "We know that in Europe and America, birthrates are far below replacement level." Iyizoba continues, "Their populations are aging and a huge pension debt is resting on the shoulders of shrinking numbers of their working youths. A day of reckoning is looming for them. Nigerians want to avoid this," he said.

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