Makoko's Teenage Pregnancies

I'm sorry, but can someone please explain why one should bring up FOURTEEN children in this environment? Why not TWO, or THREE?

Punch Online carried an interesting feature today about Makoko and its greatly increased rate of teenage pregnancies. Like I have said more times than I can count on this blog, I find it quite strange that people who live in such abject poverty go on to have between twelve and fifteen children. Why?

Here is what Mr. Francis Agoyon Alashe (himself with FOURTEEN children) had to say about the situation:

"However, the head of the traditional chiefs in the area, 55-year-old Mr. Francis Agoyon Alashe, said the rate of teenage pregnancies in the community was nothing to worry about. “Why should we be worried? We take it as the wondrous and marvellous deed of God, that young girls at 11 or 12-year-old are getting pregnant and giving birth and that a 15-year-old boy can get a girl pregnant. In my days, we were taught that 18 was the ideal age, but times have changed,” he said.

Agoyon has 14 children — 10 boys and four girls. He said, “My first daughter, who is now 29-year-old, got pregnant at 15; the second, who is now 19-year-old, got pregnant at 16. My boys have not impregnated any girl because they are focused on their education.

“Sometimes, Egun people don’t like using condoms. Our argument is, how can you ejaculate into a rubber? There is no pleasure in that. Although common sense says the use of condom could prevent pregnancy, but we don’t need it. We like real sex, even if we give birth to many children, we don’t mind. If, for example, I get married to a 15-year-old girl, it means I will now become a younger looking man,” he said, laughing."

I am weak! Go here to read the full article, and go here to read my collection of thoughts on how we can eradicate poverty through pro-active population control and provision of quality education.

These Egun people (and indeed most of Nigeria) need quality education o!