Child Development and Family Human Capital Investment Decisions in Nigeria: A Study of Selected States in the Six Geo-Political Zones

The study examined child development and family human capital investment decisions in Nigeria. The study focused on household per capita income and family structure using the Nigeria living standard survey for 2018/2019 for the secondary data analysis and a field survey conducted by the researchers in six states in each of the geopolitical zones in Nigeria for the primary data analysis. The study was anchored on household utility maximization theory using the ordinary least squares (OLS) method to analyse the secondary data. Four different results were obtained. First, the result of findings from the OLS estimate revealed that per capita income had no significant impact on Family Human Capital Investment Decisions (FHCID) and male perception of the cost of education had a significant positive impact on FHCID. On the contrary, multi-dimensional poverty index and female perception of the cost of education had an inverse significant impact on FHCID. The second result revealed that average household size, family residence from 1 to 30 minutes proximity to school and 31 minutes and above proximity to school had no significant impact on FHCID. Dependency ratio showed an inverse significant impact on FHCID and family literacy level showed a significant positive impact on FHCID. The third result from the binary logistics regression showed that age, occupation and place of residence of the household head had no significant impact on FHCID. Gender (female-headed household) and education showed an inverse significant impact on FHCID. However, household head years in business or paid employment showed a positive impact on FHCID. The fourth result from the binary logistics regression revealed that marital status had no significant impact on FHCID; family size had a significant negative impact on FHCID; and family structure (type of parents) and number of girl child in the household had a direct impact on FHCID. This study showed complementarities in the home utility function, such that the marginal product of investments rises as family living standards rise. These findings highlight lifetime inequalities and necessitates a special focus on treatments for low-income households. Understanding human capital development and how diverse elements interact is critical to combating poverty and its intergenerational transmission. As a result, this study made several recommendations. First, the importance of persistent action by the government and other donor agencies such as the United Nation Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and The World Bank to address the problems of income inequality and pervasive poverty ravaging Nigerias economy. The study strongly recommends that family, especially parents, maintain justice and fairness within the home, to foster constructive, sympathetic and peaceful home, encouraging most children to exhibit excellent academic performance. Third, government agencies and hospitals, especially in rural areas, intensify family planning and birth control campaign to help reduce household size. Fourth, children of the poor be given opportunities for paid employment, to enhance their performance in the school. Fifth, children from poor homes be provided with access to scholarships, free instructional materials and books. Sixth, government and its agencies on education intensify sensitization and campaign for families to embrace Western education, especially in the northern region, promote compulsory primary basic education for all children and prosecute parents of out-of-school children or child labour to serve as a deterrent to others. Finally, the study recommends that non-governmental and religious organizations preach peace and tolerance within the family for the well-being and human capital development of their wards.