Editorial

By NEWSCOUNT Editorial Board

Nigeria joins the rest of the world today, September 26, to mark World Contraception Day, with this year’s message, “What works for you?” The theme draws attention to the importance of informed choice and access to contraceptive methods that meet the individual needs and circumstances of women and couples.

For Nigeria, the occasion comes with a familiar but still unresolved challenge. Millions of women and couples who want to prevent or delay pregnancy do not always have easy access to reliable information, affordable contraceptives and competent health services. For some, the nearest health facility is too far away. For others, the problem may be the cost of transportation, lack of contraceptive commodities, inadequate counselling or fear created by misinformation.

The World Health Organisation says family planning allows people to attain their desired number of children and determine the spacing of pregnancies. It also notes that contraception helps prevent unintended pregnancies, which can have important consequences for the health and wellbeing of women, children and families.

The global need remains considerable. WHO estimates that 1.1 billion women of reproductive age had a need for family planning in 2021, while 164 million had an unmet need for contraception. These figures show that the issue is not simply about whether contraceptives exist. It is also about whether people can obtain the method they want, when they need it, with proper information and without unnecessary barriers.

Nigeria has recorded some improvement. The 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey reported that modern contraceptive use among currently married women rose from 12 per cent in 2018 to 15 per cent in 2024. The proportion of women whose family-planning needs were satisfied also increased. The progress deserves recognition, but the figures still show a substantial gap between need and access.

The gap is more visible in rural and underserved communities where health facilities may be few and far between, trained personnel may be insufficient and supplies may not always be dependable. Poverty also affects access. A woman who cannot afford transport to a health facility may be unable to obtain a contraceptive method even where the service itself is available.

Misinformation presents another challenge. Some Nigerians believe that contraceptives invariably cause infertility or permanent damage to reproductive health. Such claims can discourage women and couples from seeking professional advice. At the same time, genuine concerns about side effects should be treated honestly. People need to know the advantages, limitations and possible side effects of different methods so that they can make informed decisions with the guidance of qualified health workers.

Men should also be part of the family-planning conversation. Decisions about whether and when to have children concern both parents, and men have an important responsibility in supporting their partners and making informed decisions about the size and spacing of their families.

Family planning should not be presented as a programme designed to dictate the number of children Nigerians should have. The choice belongs to individuals and couples. Government’s responsibility is to ensure that those who want to plan or space their families have access to accurate information, a range of safe contraceptive options and health workers capable of providing proper counselling.

The discussion, however, cannot end at access to contraception. It must eventually lead to a broader conversation about responsible parenthood and the future Nigeria is preparing for its children.

Having a child is not simply an event in a family. It brings a long-term responsibility to provide food, shelter, healthcare, education, protection and guidance. Parents naturally have different circumstances and different aspirations for their families, but bringing children into the world should come with consideration of the ability to care for them and give them a reasonable opportunity in life.

That consideration becomes even more important as Nigeria’s population grows. United Nations projections indicate that Nigeria could have about 400 million people by 2050, with some projection estimates putting the figure at about 401 million and another UN projection at approximately 411 million.

The size of the future population should concern policymakers, not because a large population is inherently undesirable, but because population growth must be matched by productive capacity.

Every additional generation will need schools, hospitals, housing, food, transportation, electricity, water and jobs. Nigeria already struggles to meet many of these needs for its present population. A much larger population will require a much larger and more productive economy.

The World Bank has previously estimated that Nigeria would need tens of millions of additional jobs by 2050 simply to prevent unemployment from increasing under a medium-fertility scenario. That should be a serious consideration in national planning.

A large youthful population can become one of Nigeria’s greatest economic assets if young people are healthy, educated, skilled and productively employed. If jobs and opportunities fail to grow with the population, however, the pressure on families and government will become greater.

Nigeria therefore needs a deliberate policy shift that brings population planning and economic planning closer together. Family planning should be supported alongside better education, maternal and child healthcare, girls’ education, skills development, agriculture, industrial production, housing and employment.

The emphasis must remain on voluntary and informed choice. Nigeria does not need coercive population control. It needs a health system that makes family planning accessible and a national development policy that prepares for the population the country is already producing.

World Contraception Day provides an opportunity to remind Nigerians that access to contraception is ultimately about giving people choices. The theme, “What works for you?”, speaks directly to that principle.

But responsible choices also extend to parenthood itself. Children should be welcomed into families prepared, as far as their circumstances permit, to care for them, educate them and give them a fair opportunity to develop their abilities.

Nigeria’s population may approach 400 million by 2050. Whether that population becomes a source of economic strength or places even greater pressure on the country will depend largely on the choices made now—in family planning, education, healthcare, job creation and responsible parenthood.

World Contraception Day should therefore not end with awareness campaigns. It should strengthen the resolve to make family planning accessible, support informed choices and prepare Nigeria for the population it will have.