*Unchecked Nigeria’s population growth has led to unemployment and rural-urban migration amongst others – Mr. Mohammed Yahya
*Nigeria’s population Should not be a tragedy but a blessing – Mrs. AAbike Dabiri-Erewa
*There is need to educate populace on illegal migration and scale birthing without corresponding resources – Mrs Nyma Zibiri
*There would be social eruptions in the Nation if population is not checked – Theophilus Emuwa
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Panelists at the 14th ÆLEX Annual Lecture titled “ILLITERACY, MIGRATION, AND INSECURITY: NIGERIA’S POPULATION TIME BOMB” have called on both the government and the populace to take a more conscious look into the nation’s ever-increasing population, and its adverse effect on the nation.
The panelists who where reacting to various projections of Nigeria’s population reaching over 400 million people by 2050 with the current population growth rate at 2.5%.
The event took place virtually on the 18th of November, 2020 and in attendance include the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mr. Mohammed Yahya; the Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDC), Anike Dabiri-Erewa, the founding partner of Cynosure of Practice and a girl child advocate, Mrs. Nima Akashat; Managing Partner of Aelex, Mrs. Funke Adekoya (SAN) etc.
Mr. Mohamed Yahya noted that the population size of any country has both positive and negative effect in every nation. In comparing the Nigerian situation with that of the People’s Republic of China, the UNDP representative noted that after the 1978 reforms carried out in China, the country took over 20 million people out of poverty and has remained an economic power in the world.
In Nigeria however, he noted that the population explosion in the country has remained largely unchecked and the lack of a corresponding viable economy, has negatively led to, high poverty rate due to strained resources, unemployment, overly stretched health care system, weak human and capital development, huge rural-urban migration, insecurity amongst others.
Mr. Yahya opined that the placing of Nigeria as competitive market on a global scale competitively would tackle issues of migration and insecurity
“Nigeria needs to think outside the box and build a strong human capital base”, he said
Also speaking at the event, Mrs. Abike Dabiri Erewa, noted that illiteracy is not the major cause of population explosion or migration as available data shows that, most returnees and Nigerians in Diaspora are highly educated.
“So, tackling such occurrences bothers more on information and awareness rather than illiteracy.
“Although, India has a large population, but today, they are doing more with themselves,” she said
On the way forward, she posited that employment opportunities must be created by government for its people, adding that even where it is clear that such job opportunities may not be exploited by some individuals, it still needs to be created.
“We cannot stop migration whether legal or illegal but it can be managed.
“Our population should not be a tragedy but a blessing but then, this depends on how we harvest what is a blessing to us,” she said
The former journalist turned politician also noted that “There’s nothing bad in having a strong population in any nation, however the major challenge with such a situation would be where the economy is not growing as well as the population.. hence, government ought to also create a working environment that allows for the creation of Jobs”.
Mrs. Nyma Akashat Zibiri, the founding partner of Cynosure Practice, Barristers and Solicitors, whilst speaking on the topic as a panelist, regretted the ‘insensitivity’ of government towards the plights being faced by ordinary Nigerians, noting that the hardship was clearly evident with the sundry looting that took place post the ENDSARS protest.
The co-host on Television Continental (TVC) show “your view’, noted that the citizens ought not to be blamed as the issue of illegal migration is but a reaction to the government’s insensitivity and the need to find greener pastures.
On population explosion, she noted that one of the reasons government may have been shying away from the discourse is due to the religious and cultural colouration attached to the topic, and these colouration makes heathier policies like family planning seem like a ridicule.
The panelists came to the conclusion that Nigeria has both a population and governance problem, and there’s a need to address these issues from the very roots, noting that all hands must be on deck. Similarly that there is a need to educate the populace against large scale birthing where adequate resources to take care of the children are non-existent, and also raise awareness on the dangers associated with illegal migration.
Speaking earlier, Mr. Theophilus Emuwa, the managing partner of ÆLEX while delivering the welcome address noted the timely nature of the topic to the current challenges bedeviling the nation, noting that without proper management of the country’s population, there would exist social eruptions in the nation.
Mrs. Funke Adekoya in her closing remarks appreciated the panelists and participants at the event for their patience and contributions.
The ǼLEX lecture series was inaugurated in 2005 to commemorate the founding of our practice which has since grown to become a full-service law firm with offices in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Accra, Ghana.
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