Ballooning population

•We need to check this to avoid catastrophe

The United Nations has estimated Nigeria’s population at slightly above 200 million, which, if valid, implies that Nigerians make up about 2.6% of the total world population. This invariably means that the country ranks as the seventh most populous nation. However, it also means that the United Nations must be weighed down by the demands from the most populous black nation and should therefore be concerned, given the global economic realities and the attendant conflicts.

However, the UN estimate ought to be food for thought for a nation currently facing all the negative economic and developmental indices. The country has the unenviable tag of having the highest number of extremely poor and more than 13 million out of school children.

Sadly too, Nigeria seems to have no reliable census as some politicians have repeatedly sabotaged the conduct of headcounts either by influencing the outcome or by deliberately excluding some people. The fact that this has been the case makes it appear like the country is cutting its nose to spite its face. While an exact census figure might appear a mirage, each country normally tries to count and keep track of the number of its citizens through all forms of data collections like strictly registering births and deaths, national identity cards, social security numbers and all other means of tracking the human existence in or out of the country.

Whether the UN population estimate is accurate or not, the error margin might be negligible. The truth is that Nigeria is the most populous black nation and her ranking as the poverty capital of the world has everything to do with the poor management of the population and resources. Population growth becomes dangerous when the country’s policies are not geared towards maximising the potential of the citizens through proper education, good healthcare and security.

Nigeria as a beacon of the African continent must begin to feel very concerned about an unchecked population growth. There must be a deliberate effort to include sex education in schools and to use traditional and religious rulers to disseminate the message. The idea of using culture as justification for unchecked number of children per family must be debunked with education.

Education of girls has been known to delay childbirth and invariably limit the number of children per woman. Educated women would make better choices for their children and limit child mortality even as this helps them access better reproductive health services to make better choices. Therefore, the country must improve its healthcare delivery system.

Nigeria cannot afford to neglect stemming the tide of overpopulation given the inherent environmental problems, deforestation, water and air pollution and other attendant negative impacts. The government must vote for a rapid economic development to cater for the people, especially the youths that form a huge percentage of the population.

We may not be able to undo the present population; but there can be efforts at stemming the tide of economic downturn which impoverishes the people and creates insecurity. Rural/urban migration which puts pressure on the limited infrastructure in the cities must be checked through a rapid development of the rural areas in ways that are economically viable and sustainable.

To leave the population unchecked would further drive the country into the depths of poverty, given the propensity of the poorest nations to exhibit high fertility levels which reflect lack of education. According to French President Emmanuel Macron, “Africa’s high birth rate is not ‘chosen fertility’, it reflects lack of education. Present me the woman who decided, being perfectly educated, to have, seven eight or nine children”.

The UN almost has Nigeria as a ‘weeping’ nation given its roles in the country through its agencies like UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFPA, etc., and the country must feel worried at an increasing population without any workable plans for economic growth.