An unplanned population is a disaster in the making
The United Nations, in its new population prediction, stated that by the year 2050, three of the 10 most populous countries in the world will be in Africa. Nigeria, currently rated among the fastest growing countries in the world, is one of them. Ordinarily this should be a plus for us, but it is not. The prognosis is that there may come a time when it would be difficult for us to feed and make other necessary provisions for the ever-increasing number of people.
As the population of the country bulges exponentially, Nigerians continue to be ranked among the poorest people in the world due to high incidence of unemployment, predominant production of primary goods over finished products, aging public infrastructure, and opaque system of governance. The high rate of out-of-school children and poor output in the education sector also contribute negatively to deepening this problem as the nation churns out a crop of uncompetitive youth in a new world driven by technology, skills and knowledge.
The last census was conducted in 2006 but after spending over N200 billion the one slated for last year was postponed till this year. As things stand, there is no indication that it will be conducted. Meanwhile, by most projections, the population of the country is estimated to hit about 400 million by 2050 meaning that we could almost double the current estimate of about 226 million. The implication also is that our population would exceed that of the United States, Pakistan, Indonesia and Brazil--countries that are far more advanced in development. Against the background that uncontrolled population growth is already stretching to the limits the few infrastructure facilities in the country and contributing in large measure to the poor standards of living, there is indeed an urgent need to address the dire consequences of the uncontrolled population growth.
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Of course, we are not unmindful of the fact that some people may dismiss the latest projections as mere Western propaganda aimed at keeping developing countries from having large populations. They could also point to China and India as countries with huge populations harvesting their "demographic dividends". Yet the fact being ignored is that China controls its population with its one-child per couple policy until recently while the Indian state encourages some form of family planning. In any case, an idle (and largely illiterate population) such as we breed in Nigeria today can only be a disaster waiting to happen.
However, we are not oblivious to religious practices and beliefs that frown at any talk of over population and therefore regard any suggestion that hints at birth control as heresy. But it is a simple economic fact that population growth that is not matched with commensurate socio-economic development can only breed chaos. On a positive note, however, we also understand that at a time when the population of many countries in Europe and Asia is ageing, Nigeria's young population could be a demographic advantage, but only if policymakers can design appropriate policies that will improve productive capacities, and put our people to work. To the extent that there is no such thing, then there is the need to worry. A sustainable society is the one with a population growth that enables its members to achieve a high quality of life.
