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Tag: World Population Day

  • NCF hosts World Population Day

    With support from the Lagos State Government, the  Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), in collaboration with Population Matters, a UK-based charity,will host this year’s World Population Day, with the theme Population and Sustainability in Nigeria and beyond. The event will hold on Thursday, July 11, at Lekki Conservation Foundation, Lekki Lagos by 9am.

    Director-General, Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Dr. Muhtari Aminu-Kano, said that the celebration is borne out of the foundation’s strong belief that unsustainable population is a global problem that must be addressed in both underdeveloped as well as developed world countries, where population   growth may be low.

    But he noted that the consumption and global environmental impact are high and in countries of the Global South where global impact is low but population growth may be high. “Therefore, the campaign is to achieve a sustainable human population, to protect the natural world and improve people’s lives.”

    “The aim of this event is to create awareness and generate public discuss that will address both global population and the impacts of growth in Nigeria; interfacing with stakeholders in examining local solutions; examining how Nigeria can contribute towards international policy initiatives to address unsustainable population.”

    Expected to speak at the event are, Lagos State Governor Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu;, Hon Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission Barrister Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin; Dr Aminu-Kano; Director, Population Matters, UK, Mr. Robin Maynard, CEO, Foundation for a Better Environment (FABE) Mrs. Temitope Okunnu, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of the Environment Mr. Abiodun Bamgboye, and, Director Tourism, Lagos State Ministry of Culture and Tourism Mrs Flora Adamma Oni

    According to the United Nations, by 2050 the global population will be 9.7bn and the Nigerian population will be more than 400m. By the middle of the century, Nigeria will overtake the US as the world’s third most populous country. These figures are the UN’s main, medium variant, projections. With 95% certainty, it projects a global population in the range between 9.4 and 10.1 billion in 2050, and between 9.4 and 12.7 billion in 2100 (with a medium projection of 10.9bn).

  • Obaseki urges global action on population growth

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has called on world leaders to take decisive action to ensure development efforts meet and surpass the pace of population growth, to reduce inequality and engender inclusive growth across the world.

    Obaseki, who said this in commemoration of the World Population Day, marked every July 11, noted that growing population shouldn’t be seen as a curse, but a challenge for developing countries to articulate innovative pathways that will drive inclusive and sustainable development.

    Read Also:Discordant tunes over Nigeria’s rising population

    According to him, “The World Population Day reminds us of the need to be circumspect in a number of policy issues, especially as it affects population growth and its implications for economic development and social cohesion. On a day like this, it is imperative to make the case for planned parenthood and family planning so as to ensure that the world’s population doesn’t become untamable.

    Noting that this year’s theme for the day, Family Planning is Human Right, makes it imperative for families to determine the size and spacing of their children, he said it behoves government to provide structures for individuals to dream and actualise their dreams.

    “Due to its economic implications, growing population has been a double blessing for developing countries, such that many are still grappling to articulate policies to manage the growth and the attendant socio-political as well as economic fallouts of a bulging population.

    “However, we cannot wish away the import of human life. Hence, even as the debate and policy actions are tweaked to contain population growth, governments and world leaders should take critical actions to ensure that development meets needs of people, in such a way that they would be assured of support structures to carve out their destinies and live happy, fulfilled lives.”

    The governor said that the state government has undertaken a number of development initiatives to help in delivery of affordable, accessible healthcare, quality basic education and expand the space for wealth creation so as to deepen inclusive growth and development.

    He added that the state government will not relent in its efforts in industrialising the state, attracting investments to open up new vistas for economic expansion and deepen reforms to ensure that people have opportunities to express themselves and earn decent wages.

  • Nigeria can reap from demography with right investments in human capital – British envoy

    Nigeria can reap from demography with right investments in human capital – British envoy

    British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Harriet Thompson, says Nigeria can reap from its demography with the right investments in human, physical capital and family planning,

    Thompson made this known at an event to mark the the World Population Day which held at the British High Commission in Abuja on Monday.

    NAN reports that the UN set aside July 11 every year, to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues.

    “As you all will be aware, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with a growing population.

    “By 2030, estimates indicate that Nigeria will have 115 million people under the age of 15 and be the third most populous country in the world by 2050 next only to China and India.

    “This calls for serious and urgent planning as a growing population, particularly a young one present’s great economic, security and environmental challenges.

    “However, the right investments and family planning will ensure that Nigeria reaps from this demographic dividend,’’ she said.

    Thompson stated that Nigeria was gradually becoming the third most populated country in the world and that the large population had the potential to attract economic and security challenges.

    She added that family planning was not only beneficial for Nigeria as a whole but beneficial to families by improving their standard of living.

    “The term ‘family planning’ goes beyond contraception by taking into account sexuality education, planning your child’s birth for specific times and planning for a child when you have challenges conceiving one.

    “ Family planning is important for the health of a mother and her children as well as the family’s economic situation by improving the standard of living of the family.

    “Expanding access to contraception and family planning programmes is one of the most cost-effective ways to break the cycle of poverty as it empowers people to plan their futures and reach their fullest potential.

    “Organisations are actively seeking ways to increase access to information and resources related to family planning around the world with a particular focus on low income communities where family planning is less prevalent.” she said.

    These organisations, she said,  include the UK, UN Population Fund, World Health Organisation and other international organisations.

    Also speaking at the event, the chairman of National Population Commission (NPC) Chief Eze Duruihuoma, stressed the need for Nigerians to be realistic with their family size by considering their finances when planning their family.

    “It was in the olden days that having a large family was beneficial because having many children meant a family could manage their farmland better but those days are gone and we have to be realistic.

    “Some people might just like the idea of having a large family due to their traditional or religious beliefs, however, it is only wise to produce the number of children that can be properly taken care of.

    “The lesser the number of children one has, the better the standard of living that can be provided for that family.

    “If everyone takes this into consideration, the Nigeria economy would be able to perform better,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that by resolution 45/216 of December 1990, the UN General Assembly decided to continue observing World Population Day to enhance awareness of population issues, including their relations to the environment and development.

    The Day was first marked on July 11, 1990 in more than 90 countries.

  • Dangers of overpopulation

    Dangers of overpopulation

    “Population, when unchecked, increases in a geometrical ratio. Subsistence only increases in an arithmetical ratio.”  Thomas Malthus (1766-1834).

    Thomas Malthus’ warning quoted above and conveyed in his book; An Essay on the Principal of Population (1798) was then dismissed as the ranting of a sensationalist and a hue, arising from a distorted vision of seeing a rabbit and calling it a wolf was flung away as a Frisbee.

    Like a demonized boomerang it has gone full circle in over 200 years and now recoils around the world in a stifling grip, leaving all of us grasping for a meaningful or a welfare enhancing life.

    Thomas Malthus was no ordinary man. In addition to being an Economist, he was a clairvoyant who saw well into the 21st century. His assertion that population is increasing geometrically and food is increasing arithmetically is no longer news. What is news is that today; July 11, 2014 is World Population Day. After today, the subject of world population will be news on July 11, 2015.

    Today, countries like India and China have begun to implement Malthus’ counsel by limiting the number of children per couple, legislating against adolescent marriage, legalization of abortion, use of contraceptives and sterilization (vasectomy in men and tubal sterilization in women) among other methods.

    In a world of over 7 billion people and much of the people living longer because of improved hygiene and health delivery, the population of the world throws up Malthus’ concern of over 200 years ago.

    His concerns of delayed marriage, proper child spacing – leading to fewer children, and increase in food production capacity are gradually suppressing the concerns of climate change and the depleting ozone layer. Unlike the changing ecosystem which is not a spontaneous action, there is an explosion on population.

    “Population tends to increase faster than the supply of food available for its needs. Whenever a relative gain occurs in food production over population growth, a higher rate of population increase is stimulated; on the other hand, if population grows too much faster than food production, the growth is checked by famine, disease, and war.”

    Population burst is characterized by urban overcrowding, pollution, traffic congestion, growing rate of unemployment, overstretched social facilities and lack of basic human needs – food, clothing and shelter, subsets of poverty.

    Confronted with the reality of a world population explosion (over 7 billion people) and the fact of a fixed capital (land), depleting resources and damage to the eco-system and the ozone layer, mankind must peruse again these timeless views of population.

    Indeed Malthus cried wolf, but what we have in the stable (the issue of a geometrically progressing population with arithmetically increasing resources) is a tiger.

  • How population affects wellbeing of young people

    How population affects wellbeing of young people

    As the World Population Day 2014 is commemorated today, it is of paramount interest to look at how population affects the general wellbeing of young people in the face of growing population without corresponding increase in resources to cater for this set of people.

    A recent release by National Population Commission (NPC), through its Chairman, Chief Eze Duruiheoma, puts Nigeria’s teenage population at 60 million from 44 million in 2006 and is expected to rise to 73 million by 2020.

    According to Dr. Ogbonna Amanze of National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), investing in young people entails massive financial, human and moral investment in education, apprenticeship, entrepreneurship, healthcare, girls and women.

    “There is need for massive financial investment in the education sector, in order to make primary and secondary education free, compulsory, accessible and qualitative in Nigeria. Education curricula should be reviewed and redesigned to lay emphasis on skills acquisition through functional and vocational education, which equips young people with work and technical skills needed to be relevant in the labour market and making meaningful contributions to the development of their communities,” he said.

    In addition, the Nigeria Demographic Health Survey 2013 has revealed that empowerment of young people, especially women is positively associated with contraceptive use, ideal number of children, access to antenatal care and delivery assistance from a skilled provider. It also has significant impact on job creation, health-seeking behaviour, reproductive behaviours, and use of contraceptives amongst others.

    On healthcare, there is need for extensive investment to scale up public health interventions geared toward addressing the peculiar health problems and risks associated with young people and adolescents, such as drug use, alcoholism, unprotected sexual intercourse, high prevalence of HIV, teenage pregnancy amongst other issues.

    The President, Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON), Dr. Fred Achem described the theme of this year’s world population day as apt and timely. ‘For too long we seem to have forgotten that this age group of 10 to 24, constitutes a major population block that form the foundation for our future.

    This is the age group that must be properly educated to become the economic power house of the next generation. They must be responsibly developed to make the best decisions regarding their sexuality and reproduction to avoid the awaiting scourges of STIs and HIV; maternal mortality and morbidity, unemployment and delinquency with all the attendant social menace’, he said.

    Speaking about young people’s reproductive health, the Executive Director, Ovie Brume Foundation and Board Member, Development Communications (DevComs) Network, Mrs. Iwalola Akin-Jimoh said teenage pregnancy is a major health concern because of its association with higher morbidity and mortality for both the mother and the child as well as its threat to the educational attainment and economic relevance of the teenager. “Statistics have it that twenty-three percent of women age 15-19 have already begun childbearing and about one-third (32 percent) of women age 20-49 have had a birth by age 18,” she said.

    Furthermore, harmful cultural and traditional practices such as early and forced marriages, female genital mutilation as well as unplanned pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections contribute significantly to the unacceptable high Maternal Mortality in Nigeria. Nigeria has a maternal mortality ratio of 576 per 100,000 (NDHS 2013), and the maternal mortality rate in young people aged 20-24 (1.3) is only second to that of women age 35-39 (1.6).  ‘The percentage of female deaths that are maternal deaths varies by age and ranges from 12 percent among women age 45-49 to 44 percent among women age 20-24’, report the NDHS 2013.

    Yet, the use of contraceptive is lowest (2.1) among married women aged 15-19 followed by (9.6) in women between 20 -24 age group, which contribute significantly to maternal deaths. According to the NDHS 2013, the use of contraceptives among currently married women increases with age from 2 percent among women age 15-19 to 22 percent among women age 40-44, after which it falls to 13 percent among women age 45-49.

    Consequently, access to contraceptive use for married young people, investment in adolescent reproductive health, girl-child education, discouragement of harmful traditional practices, and improved maternal health care are crucial to reduction in maternal deaths among young people.

    On the gains of this year’s World Population Day, Mrs. Akin-Jimoh likened investment in young people’s health to a fixed deposit that continues to yield interest over a significant period of time. ‘Young people are the present and future of any country in terms of workforce, economy, leadership to mention a few. We can only move forward in the country if they stay healthy’, she said.

    The World Population Day is annually observed on July 11 to reaffirm the human right to plan for a family. It is aimed at increasing people’s awareness on various population issues such as the importance of family planning, including gender equality, poverty, maternal health and human rights.

    The day is celebrated worldwide by business groups, community organizations and individuals in many ways. Activities include seminar discussions, educational information sessions and essay competitions

     

  • ARFH calls for legislation against child marriage

    The Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH) has called for legislation against Child marriage in the country to end teenage pregnancy.

    In a statement to mark this year’s World Population Day, ARFH President, Professor Oladapo Ladipo noted that teenage pregnancy is associated with high maternal mortality and morbidity – anemia, induced abortion, pregnancy induced hypertension and obstructed labour resulting in Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF).

    The theme for this year’s celebration is Adolescent pregnancy.

    The non-governmental organization said adolescents and youths in the country must be provided with age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education to help them develop the knowledge and skills they need to protect their health.

    Apart from education and information, ARFH stated that good quality reproductive health services must also be readily available for adolescents to make informed choices and be healthy.

    “Adolescent pregnancy is not just a health issue, it is a development issue.  It is deeply rooted in poverty, gender inequality, violence, child and forced marriage, power imbalances between adolescent girls and their male partners, lack of education, and the failure of systems and institutions to protect their right.”

    Through, The Universal Access to Reproductive Health (Y-ACCESS Project) funded by DFID, ARFH said it has engaged in capacity strengthening and reproductive health improvement intervention including access to reproductive health information and services by adolescents and young people (aged 10 – 24 years) in four northern states (BENUE, JIGAWA, KATSINA and NIGER) of Nigeria

    As a principal recipient of Global Fund, the organization added that it has provided oversight functions to the Federal Ministry of Education to enhance the capacity of teachers to be able to deliver factual Family Life and Reproductive Health and HIV Education information to in-school adolescents using the curricular based approach.

    ARFH maintained that young people including adolescents in Nigeria constitute a significant proportion of the population and face unique challenges which should be addressed if their health and developmental potentials are not to be compromised.