MATHEMATICAL IMPACT OF MALTHUSIAN POPULATION MODEL ON NIGERIAN GROWTH DOMESTIC PRODUCT

Zayyanu Umar & Yusuf Usman
Department of Computer Science, Waziri Umar Federal Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi,
Department of Mathematics, Waziri Umar Federal Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi,
Email: zayyanuumar1@yahoo.com, yusufusman1314@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT
The study investigates the mathematical impact of Malthusian population model on Nigerian Growth Domestic Product (GDP). Nigeria is a middle income, mixed economy and emerging market, with expanding financial, service, communications, technology and entertainment sectors. It is ranked as the 〖21〗^st largest economy in the world in terms of nominal GDP, and the 〖20〗^th largest in terms of Purchasing Power Parity. It is the largest economy in Africa; its re-emergent, though currently underperforming, manufacturing sector is the third-largest on the continent, and produces a large proportion of goods and services for the West African sub-region. The largely subsistence agricultural sector has not kept up with rapid population growth, and Nigeria, once a large net exporter of food, now imports a large quantity of its food products. An important idea regarding overpopulation as it relates to poverty is that presented by the Neo-Malthusian perspective. Thomas Malthus argued that overpopulation directly corresponds to human suffering due to the notion that human population increases geometrically while food production can only increase arithmetically. These trends, he argued, would result in a point at which a society experiences war, poverty, and famine as the need for food surpasses its availability. Malthus reasoned that the process of population growth would need to be checked by a decrease in fertility or an increase in mortality. The Neo-Malthusianism perspective is essentially the application of Malthus’ theories on current world systems in order to investigate trends and make predictions. The implications of a neo-Malthusian model are that the Earth can only sustain the agricultural needs of a limited population and that as overpopulation occurs, there are significant social and economic consequences. Neo-Malthusian perspective has also been extended beyond agricultural sustainability to describe the need and depletion of all resources. In conclusion, these interpretations suggest that overpopulation may in fact be a direct cause of poverty and starvation in societies around the world.

Keywords: Nigerian Economy, GDP, Malthusian Model and Over Population.