Nigeria’s high fertility rate threatens devt, says Prof. Ugal as he delivers 11th FULafia inaugural lecture

|By Musa Ishaq

An expert on demography and population studies at the Department of Sociology of the Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), Professor David Betelwhobel Ugal, has presented his inaugural lecture with a call on the authorities to address the issue of high fertility rate in Nigeria.

According to Ugal, the fertility boom, if left unchecked, could threaten our nation’s development.

Delivering his inaugural lecture Ugal delved into a deep, highly technical and scholarly explanation of the implications of high fertility rate in Nigeria, saying that the country’s fertility rate must be checked through culture based mechanisms.

Ugal said: “Nigeria is still struggling fervently with the attainment of lower fertility transition, this is because Nigeria’s population has been growing from about 56 million people in 1963 to above 200 million in 2019. It has been further projected to increase to 450 million in 2050 at the pace it is growing.”

Ugal’s inaugural lecture, titled: “Fertility: A Double-Edged Sword,” was held at the Mallam Adamu Adamu twin lecture hall at the Permanent Site Campus of the University.

Ugal argued that Nigeria has made bold efforts to achieve rapid economic development over the past decades, pointing out that the rapid population growth has, however, affected the quality of lives of the people and made achievement of socio-economic development goals difficult.

He said: “From the statistical graph, the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in Nigeria has remained relatively high. The projections have not been achievable; birthrate has remained high, thus, hindering the onset of fertility transition.”

Ugal said that having fewer children by parents was essential to achieving development and fighting poverty in Nigeria.

Ugal called on governments at all levels to prioritise giving access to family planning and girl-child education to check level of procreation, urging stakeholders to shun cultural barriers.

“The trend must be checked gradually until it reverses itself,” he said.

Earlier, in his address, the chairman of the occasion and Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), Professor Shehu Abdul Rahman, described Ugal “as a good example of outstanding scholar whose numerous academic works attest to his contribution to knowledge in the area of demography and population studies.”

The vice-chancellor, while congratulating Ugal and his family, underscored the importance of professorial inaugural lecture, saying that “the tradition establishes new collaborations and strengthens existing relationships.”

Welcoming participants to the occasion, Prof. Josephine Odey, the Chairperson, Inaugural Lecture Committee of the University, said Ugal’s contributions to knowledge had not only added value to staff and students of the University but to the field of sociology in Nigeria and beyond.

She thanked the vice-chancellor for supporting the committee and commended the guests for gracing the occasion.

The occasion was marked with presentation of merit certificate, plaque and gift to Professor David Betelwhobel Ugal.