Active and Slack Variables in Nigeria's Population Control : Economic Base for Dynamic Population Policy

Rapid population growth in Nigeria has been accompanied by poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, low productivity, inflation, etc. With the average annual economic growth rate of 1.5 per cent over the years, there is discernible disproportion between economic growth and population in Nigeria. Rising population has constituted a source of concern to policy makers as there is currently no dynamic population policy in place. This study focused on identifying factors influencing interrelationships among determinants of population growth. Only by constituting these factors into major policy instruments can a viable population policy be evolved. Study spanned across 1970-2004. Data were analyzed using factor analysis. Results indicate that: (1) Higher education and standards of living were major factors influencing population growth in Nigeria (2) Higher education and standards of living followed bi-directional paths in transmitting their impact to population growth (3) The common active variables which constitute the media for transmission of impact of higher education and standards of living to population growth include consumer price index, birth rate and urbanization (4) The common passive variables which constitute the media for stabilizing the impact of higher education and standards of living on population growth include literacy rate, contraceptive prevalence, nuptiality, death rate, mortality rate and net migration (5) The active variable which was specific to higher education is fertility rate (6) Life expectancy was a passive variable specific to higher education while national income was a passive variable specific to standards of living. Study concluded that a dynamic population policy for Nigeria should take into cognizance the impact of higher education and standards of living on the country’s population growth. It was recommended, inter alia, that to stem the tide of rising population, federal government should subsidized higher education and enforce family planning through proper legislation