Bill on birth control on the way?

GEJ&Sambo with national population commissioners after their swearing in yesterday

Seems like President Jonathan is considering making a law telling Nigerians how many kids they can have so as to manage the population of the country. Yes, you heard right!

There are indications he might sponsor a bill on birth control as a way of curtailing unrestrained population explosion in Nigeria.

President Goodluck Jonathan gave the hint yesterday June 26th at the Presidential Villa while administering oath of office to the newly appointed chairman and members of the National Population Commission (NPC). He said:

“For us to plan properly, we must manage our population, but it is extremely sensitive because we are extremely religious people, either as Christians or Muslims. Both Christians and Moslems and even traditionalists and all the other religions believe that children are God’s gifts to man, so it is difficult for you to tell any Nigerian to number their children because they are gifts of God and it is not expected to reject God’s gifts. 

The key thing is how you will, through your advocacy, come up with plans and programmes that encourage Nigerians to have the number of children they can manage, before government comes up with clear policies and guidelines. First and foremost is the personal consciousness that people should get the family they can manage.

“Sometimes you get to the house of somebody living in a well-furnished duplex. There is the husband and wife and maybe two, three or four children. But the guard at the gate may have nine children. That is the scenario you have. So, first and foremost, before government comes up with regulations, guidelines or laws, Nigerians must be made to know that we cannot continue to procreate and procreate even though we know children are God's gifts." President Jonathan Goodluck