President Muhammadu Buhari has emphasized the urgent need to
address Nigeria’s high fertility rate, insisting that the quality of life and
standards of living of all Nigerians stands to suffer depreciation.
The President equally advocated that population can be
controlled through expanding access to modern family planning, counselling and
commodities as well as birth spacing modalities.
He said this on Thursday while launching the Revised
National Policy on Population for Sustainable Development at the State House,
Abuja.
He also inaugurated the National Council on Population Management (NCPM), chaired by him, and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as the deputy chairman with heads of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as members.
”The policy emphasizes the urgency to address Nigeria’s
sustained high fertility rate, through expanding access to modern family
planning, counselling and commodities as well as promote births spacing.
”This will enable Nigeria to achieve rapid fertility control,
improve the health of women, adolescents, newborns and children, and other
population groups,’’ he said.
President Buhari noted that Nigeria’s population, which is
the largest in Africa, seventh globally and among the few whose fertility is
still growing, is hinged on a youthful population, with more than 72 per cent
of them being below 30 years while half of the female population are in their
reproductive years (15-49 years).
”These levels have implications for sustained population
growth and narrowed prospects to achieving population management, facilitating
sufficient demographic transition, harnessing our demographic endowment and
eventually realizing sustainable development,’’ he said.
He also explained that it underscores the importance of
investing in quality education of young people (particularly girls), human
capital development, advancing the holistic effort to achieve the significant
demographic transition.
”The Revised Population Policy is rich with all necessary
information that will guide the implementation of Nigeria’s Mid-term and
Perspective Development Plan.
”It will further address concerns of the large population of
young people who are our pride, our future and assets to drive our development
efforts,” he stated.
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