DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDENDS AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: A SOCIOLOGICAL PARLANCE

This study examined demographic dividends and socio-economicdevelopments in Nigeria. The study reveals the relationship betweendemographic dividends, human capital development, and the socioeconomicdevelopment of Nigeria. The study employs Thomas Malthus'stheory of population growth. This study adopted the documentary/contentmethod of data collection and content analysis in the discussion of findings.The essence of adopting this approach of data collection was to help usassess a set of documents for the creation of a larger narrative through thestudy of multiple documents that focused on the study of demographicdividends and socio-economic developments in Nigeria to bring aboutsociological parlance. In the analysis, the study identifies social inequalityas one of the pitfalls hindering the achievement of demographic dividendsin Nigeria. The study also reveals ill health, poverty, illiteracy, and largefamily size as factors that influence the growth rate of demographicvariables, and the achievement of socioeconomic development in thecountry. It is noted that family size or population structure correlates withthe provisions of health care services, literacy rate, good governance andeconomic development, thus enhancing demographic dividends in Nigeria.It concludes that attending demographic dividend in a country is dependenton the population structure, and for it to be achieved, excessive populationgrowth should be checked.