As part of the efforts to avoid population explosion in the country, Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, disclosed at the weekend that the Federal Government would partner development agencies to fashion out ways to moderate population growth.
This, according to him, is to enable the country achieve demographic dividends. Nigeria population currently is believed to be well over 160 million.
Osinbanjo expressed concern over the fast rate at which Nigeria’s population was growing at the family planning consultative meeting in Abuja.
Osinbajo, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Ralman Adeola, reiterated that it has been proved that family planning has immense benefit to any society.
While describing the growing population of the country as worrisome, the vice president said: “I want to assure you that the Nigerian government is aware of this dilemma and will ensure that with the cooperation of the agencies here and the activities of the ministry of health and other related agencies, we will do all that is necessary to moderate population growth to ensure the desired demographic dividends.
“When birth rates decline significantly, the age portraits shift towards more productive adults which can in turn accelerate economic growth through increase productivity, greater household assets and lowering cost of provision of basic social services to younger segment of the population. This is the policy objective of the Nigerian government.”
Also speaking, the wife of the president, Aisha Buhari, charged wives of governors of all the states of the federation to promote the health of women and children in the various states.
Represented by the wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Gimbiya Dogara, the wife of the president expressed concern that available records show that every day, about 111 Nigerian women die as a result of complications related to pregnancy and child birth.
She, therefore, called for more support from all governments at all levels and other partners to support women have equitable access to reproductive health services so as to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
“Despite government’s investment in maternal newborn and child health programmes, our maternal mortality is still as high as 576 per 100,000 lives births. As a result of this, we were unable to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target at the end of 2015.
“I, therefore, charge wives of governors to promote women and child health in their respective states as well as encourage their husbands to make more investment in the area of mothers and children.”