Why National Population Policies Fail: Nigeria as a Case Study.

Olutomiwa A. Binuyo, Higher School of Economics, Moscow

Despite policy interventions, Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is persistently witnessing a positive population growth rate. This creates the need for a critical evaluation of the national population policy climate in Nigeria. This paper aims to explain the performance of the national population policies implemented so far in Nigeria. Using qualitative research method such as online expert interviews, the reasons for the failure of the most recent population policy in Nigeria, the 2004 National Population Policy for Sustainable Development, was carefully examined. It was found out that the limited involvement of the civil society, lack of political will, and regional peculiarities were the major reasons for the policy failure. Finally, the paper recommends practical measures to realize the effective implementation of the population policy in Nigeria. This study is strategic at a time like this when the Nigerian government is trying to formulate a revised national population policy.