IN many advanced economies, proactive population planning through targeted policy actions has been conceived for meaningful growth and sustainable development with resultant improved socio-economic conditions as well as citizens’ living standards.
Currently, Nigeria records the highest population growth in Africa with the estimated population figure amounting to over 215 million as at 2022. With rapid but poorly planned population growth over the last 50 years, Nigeria is beset by several development challenges ranging from acute poverty to governance, under-developed human capital, and political instability.
Similarly, Nigeria records the second highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 32 percent of children under five. An estimated two million children in Nigeria suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition, SAM, just as seven percent of women of child-bearing age also suffer from acute malnutrition, according to UNICEF.
Likewise, in Nigeria, about 53.40% of youths are unemployed according to youth unemployment rates released by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2022. This again exposes our country to most of the social crimes perpetrated by youths, including the accelerated level of prostitution; armed robbery, rape and all facets of violence can be largely attributed to the incidence of unemployment of youths.