Photo: allAfrica.com Abuja, Kaduna, Jos, Kano — Religious leaders, human rights activists and opposition politicians yesterday faulted President Jonathan's plan to introduce a birth control law, saying it was an admission of failure of his government.
Jonathan on Tuesday said while inaugurating a new board of the National Population Commission that the nation needed a law to control population growth, which he said was hampering economic planning.
Christian and Muslim leaders who spoke to Daily Trust yesterday said both religions reject legislating on birth control.
"Our religion doesn't sanction implementation of a law on the number of children that one should produce," Reverend Chris Dariya, the secretary of ECWA churches in Zaria, said.
"It is economic reason that makes people to limit the number of their children. But if one can afford producing four, five or more children, then there shouldn't be any barrier," he added.
Chief Imam of the Tudun Jukun Juma'at mosque in Zaria, Sheikh Aliyu Abdullahi Telex, said failure of government to effectively utilise human and natural resources, rather than population growth, is the country's problem.
"China has the largest population in the world yet it is now one of the fastest developing countries," he told Daily Trust yesterday. "Ethiopia is one of the countries with smallest populations but it is among the poorest."
"Religiously, Islam cannot sanction such a law because it amounts to taking the powers of Allah into one's hand.... Islam does not put a limitation on the number of children one should produce," Sheikh Aliyu added.
Plateau State chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Phillip Dafes Mwelbish, said by initiating a birth control bill, President Jonathan will be acting against the Biblical injunction that says, 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.'
"The Bible says go into the world and replenish it," Mwelbish added. "It isn't God's wish to restrain childbirth."
Leader of the Jama'atu Nasril Islam in Jos North, Dr Abdulrahaman Lawal, said, "Child control in Islam is forbidden; Islam only permits child-spacing and birth management."
He said Islam permits birth management only when giving birth will be detrimental to the life of the mother or in the case of a woman who has several caesarean sections and is advised by a medical doctor to stop having children because it could be life threatening.
A Kano-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Aminudeen Abubakar, said "To bring about the issue of birth control while we are in a democracy would not be good for the government. Every Nigerian has the right to live his life the way he likes so long as he will not infringe on other peoples' rights."
"If government will bring a law that is asking us to space our children we can do that because spacing to allow for wellbeing of the child is acceptable in Islam but to control the children one would have, is an infringement on our rights as Muslim," he added.
For his part, CAN chairman in Kano, Bishop Ransome Bello, said there was no biblical law that talks about controlling the number of children a Christian should have.
But he added: "If for economic reason or any reason a person decides to limit the number of children he would be able to cater for, there will not be problem in that."
Reps won't approve bill
Members of the House of Representatives yesterday said they would not approve any birth control bill that might be presented to them by President Jonathan.
Speaking to Daily Trust, Rep. Muktari Kura (PDP, Kano) said, "We are not going to pass it because it is against our culture and religion."
For her part, Rep. Nnenna Elendu Ukeje (PDP, Abia) said, "I don't think it is proper to bring it now. The Catholic church will resist it because Catholicism plays great role where these issues are concerned. We must be careful about this."
Rep. Mu'azu Lawal (ANPP, Zamfara) said, "Population is not a problem or the cause of our set back because China with its 1.3 billion population is the second largest economy today and they are developing. The US is 300 million yet population is not an issue to them."
Rep. Bilyaminu Yusuf Shinkafi (PDP, Kebbi) berated the President for concentrating on "trivial issues" when there are serious issues that deserve to be given attention. "May be people close to the President are misleading him," he added.
But Rep. Abike Dabiri-Erewa (ACN, Lagos) declined to comment on the matter until she sees the bill.
Abbas Jimoh, Turaki A. Hassan, Isa SA'idu, Onimisi Alao, Hassan Ibrahim and Halima Musa
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This is the example that Goodluck Jonathan is a globalist. He has his agriculture minister who has ties to the Rockefeller Foundation that advocates for birth control laws like the one in China. If Nigeria copies the Chinese model, we will go further down the road of dehumanisation. In China for instance, a family with more than one child will be under pressure to get rid of him/her. This could mean giving the child to an orphanage or infanticide and use the remains to make cosmetic products. Would we really be a God fearing nation if we went down this road? This would be a new level of evil here in Nigeria. It is great to see this nation uniting against this measure despite the attempts of the elite of this country to divide based on region, religion, or ethnicity to keep control now through Boko Haram. Nigeria is facing a bigger threat than Boko Haram in actuality. It is this global system and if we insist on division, Nigeria's society will be destroyed from both within and outside. Let's not forget that Nigeria is one of eight countries listed within the US government that are slated to have population control because the population can become a threat to American dominance and not to bring economic development.
Birth-control in itself is not a problem if proper channel is followed and done for the right reason, in other words, setting our priorities right is more important at this time than anything. We have seen what excessive child bearing can do to not just the economic state of the parents but has more toll on the innocent child to be born. Even though the bible said to "be fruitful and multiply" as some clergies are quoting, the same bible says that "all things be done moderately and in order" moderation in all things (including child-birth) cannot be over-emphasized at this time considering the number of kids currently wandering the streets feeding off gutters and dumpsites just because the parents that had them believed they were meant to "be fruitful and multiply" even when they couldn't afford to catter for and educate them. Our orphanages are full to the brims today for the same reasons or worse. That being said, I cannot stress enough the cluelessness of this presidency and his ability to (according to our Yoruba elders), "leave leprosy and begin to treat skin rashes". I'm surprised in the face of all the issues on ground, what the presidency expends efforts on are flimsy and light issues like changing university names and enforcing birth-control laws when issues like insecurity, unemployment,fuel subsidy theft, corruption and embezzlement, asset declaration to mention a few are holding smoking guns to the heads of average nigerians. I really am dissappointed in this President. I'm fast loosing my confidence.
The President shouldn't have started with birth control at all but with the prohibition of polygamy. That might satisfy true Christians but not the members of crack pot religion of peace.Muslims are given to lascivious life style of many wives.The street urchins of the Islamic North speak for themselves.In the Christian South it is not the custom to produce many children to be beggars like the muslims do in the North.It will be inhuman and un-Christian. It is simply unacceptable and outrageous that the Federal Government is financing the lecherous life styles of the Hausa/Fulani males by building those madaras for their Almajiris. Parents should be able to cater for their children. Those polygamous men who are unable to care for their children should be thrown into jail while their children should be sent to childcare centers.A couple of months ago,a polygamous jamboree was celebrated in the City of Kano with tax payers' money.What a crying shame!
"...Every Nigerian has the right to live his life the way he likes so long as he will not infringe on other peoples' rights." Is Islamic allah-majiri destitute not public nuisance? Comments from these religious bigots proves the view of a German Economist who said Black people are creatures without economic foresight. Everything requires planning, implementation and monitoring. Africa can never develop in any aspect for failing to take this 3 steps. Pigheaded African elites think for today and have no reservation for the next generation that's why you see black people full in all asylum facilities and prisons world-wide. Religion explodes like landmine in that dark-continent
To all of those of you in Nigeria and All Africa, say it is against God to have population control, please read my eBook: African overpopulation Trap: When God Balance is Broken, it is free by the way.
Here is an excerpt: Before western colonization, African population was determined by God Balance which is a number of natural counterbalancing effects set by God which are mainly diseases (like Trypanosomiasis, cholera, malaria, etc.) and famine in order to maintain population in accordance with natural carrying capacity. The chances that an African would reach adulthood were therefore very slim. In order to compensate for this the Africans over thousands of years developed the habit of breeding prolifically to ensure the survival of at least one, two, or maximum three of them. Thus, the African population during thousands of years was almost stable. God Balance was maintained by natural counterbalancing effects. However, with the introduction of westerners into Africa and the associated civilization such as vaccination, antibiotics, medicines, improved agriculture yield, African mortality fell sharply and is still falling to this day. However, the African habit (mentality) of bringing too many children remained. The unfortunate consequence of this is a massive overpopulation problem in Africa.
A Word to Africa Religious Leaders By introducing vaccination and antibiotic, Colonialists in Africa have interfered and broken the way God control population through natural checks of population (mainly diseases and famines) in order to keep the number of people in accordance with natural balance. Changing God’s way to deal with population has caused catastrophic disasters for African people (from famines, wars, emotional and physical sufferance, environment destruction, etc.). I want to tell to Muslim and Christian religious leaders that are opposing Population Control that Population Control is just going to get back to the way God used to check population before the introduction of medicines and fertilizers. Population Control is therefore a fulfilling of God will and restoration of God Balance and therefore a religious obligation.
join the group and read my ebook and then think and then say what you think. Africa Overpopulation Awareness
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