President Muhammadu Buhari
Chatting with Dr Babatunde Osotimehin
during a meeting in Abuja.
The Director-General of National Population Commission,
NPC, Ghaji Bello, has said Nigeria’s population was
currently 182 million, with more than half its people under
30 years of age.
According to him, this puts a severe strain on a nation,
with its slowing economy and declining revenue to provide
enough schools and health facilities.
Bello, who disclosed this in Abuja, said the latest estimate
was based on the population of 140 million recorded in the
last census a decade ago, using an annual growth rate of
3.5 percent weighed against other variables such as rising
life expectancy and a declining infant mortality rate.
He said Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, was
witnessing a growing youth bulge, with those under 14
years accounting for more than 40 percent of its citizens.
According to him, this is happening at a time the
International Monetary Fund, IMF, has predicted that the
nation’s gross domestic product will shrink 1.7 percent this
year, the first full-year contraction in more than two
decades.
“The implication is that they are assets, they are the future
of our country, but they are also liabilities. We need to
know how to plan for their transition from youths to the
next category.
‘’It has implications for education, health and security,
particularly in our environment where you have a lot of
unemployment,’’ Bello said.
He said plans to hold a census this year were delayed by
2015 elections and a plunge in revenue due to low prices
for crude, the country’s main export, and slashed output
caused by militant attacks in the Niger Delta.
“We’re hopeful the government will soon make a statement
for the next exercise,” he said.
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