This paper attempts to expose the potential role of Population Education as a tool for reducing Nigeria’s Population Growth Rate for National Development. Relying on library research as source of data and the utilization of population/demography knowledge in the synthesis of fact, the paper articulates the concept of population education. The goals and targets of Nigeria’s population policies of 1988 and 2004 are well articulated in order to bring to the fore, government desired future population pattern vis-à-vis human development. The paper equally looks at the country’s post 2004 population situation, human development and quality of life indices. The picture reveals poor population policy target realization, high growth population pattern with the attendant dismal performance in human development and quality of life indices. The paper is of the view that inadequate knowledge of population education and by extension population-development nexus is at the root of non-realization of population policy targets; the persistent high population growth rates and attendant poor picture of quality of life. The paper concludes that Population Education has great role to play in the reduction of Nigeria’s burgeoning population growth rates to usher in an unimpeded national development and recommends among others introduction of a model of population growth reduction for Nigeria that is buoyed by population education among children and youths, and which simultaneously incorporates well-known measures of population growth reduction process.

Population Growth Rate, Population Education, National Development