Encomium
It can be said authoritatively that poor people have more children than the rich. While the rich man considers maintaining his own small family, the poor give little consideration to the number of children they have.
However, one might be wondering why poor people still choose to have as many children as possible despite their financial state.
Encomium Weekly sampled the opinions of Nigerians on what they think make poor people have more children.
Here are their responses…
ADAM KURANGA
It’s not only poor people that give birth to more children, there are some rich people who also have more children. But what causes it is that some are illiterates.
ATANDA ABEJIDE
Not everyone has same thinking. Those that have more children and they are poor people, I will say they are not thoughtful. While some don’t go to the hospital, they only go to traditional healers, and those native hospital will not advice them. But in regular hospitals, they always orientate them on family planning.
AKINBODE RAPHAEL
The believe of those who have more children is that they don’t know the one that can make it in life. So if they have more children probably one of them can make it.
OLAOYE NURUDEEN
The thinking of the rich is different from the way poor people think. Rich man will say I want to give my children best education, good life, let me just have two so that I can cater for them. While some poor men will say it’s God that gives and He will take care of them.
MRS TOYIN AKIN
Poor people have so many children for fear of the unknown. They prefer giving birth to at least six, seven, eight or nine children in case of unforseen circumstances. Though they may not be financially buoyant enough, they choose to have all these children to themselves to as well help them in future.
FEYINTOLA TOBI
I think poor people have more children because of lack of orientation. Most of them will tell you their own father was a farmer and he had seventeen children, even more. They have forgotten that things have changed. Most of them are not even educated, that’s why they have more children despite their financial situation.
JACOB OLUMIDE
Poor people they prefer to have more children because they think if one eventually becomes successful, he would enrich others. And if luckily, most of the children are successful, then, they would enjoy their old age going from one child’s house to another. But they would never think otherwise, that what if they can’t train those children and the children end up being nuisances in the street. I think they should be enlightened about family planning.
BAKARE ADESOLA
I think poor people have more children because of their state of mind. Naturally, poor people always settle for less. If a poor man luckily hits big money now, he would first think about getting a new wife. To them, it’s a thing of pride to have wives and plenty children.
OLADIMEJI SEGUN
Poor people have more children because they struggle less. They have plenty time to themselves. Hardly will you see a poor man that is always busy with work, unlike rich people who would not get enough sleep because they are planning the future. Poor man thinks of what he would eat on a daily basis, and once he can feed his family today, tomorrow will take care of itself.
-AZEEZAT OPEYEMI AND SHUKURAT ALIMI
