Nigeria’s Population Explosion
There is a sense in which Nigeria is an unplanned country; a sense in which things have continued to head south because there has been no proper planning at best and poor planning at worse.
Countries where things work are marked by meticulous planning, the kind that takes everything into consideration including even the minor details which others would overlook. Such countries make provisions for practically every possibility.
Such countries where things work know the invaluable benefits of planning and as such they factor planning into every facet of their national lives. The population is planned, the economy is planned, healthcare is planned, education is planned, and so on.
This kind of meticulous planning is also what is at the heart of efficient management and distribution of resources to preclude many a conflict even before they arise.
Nigeria has however proven to be particularly bad at planning.
Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, and while the citizens of the country have been well within their rights to expect that the Giant of Africa would make giant strides each year towards the achievement of a peaceful and prosperous life for all, what the years have brought by is a cascade into chaos that has grown more forceful with each passing year.
In today`s Nigeria, it is insecurity that engages citizens more than any other challenge. But it has not always been insecurity. In fact, many years before insecurity became the central challenge, the patience of the citizenry had been worn thin by the slow pace of development, and of course, systemic corruption.
All these had something to do with poor planning, going back to the very foundations of the country. There can be no country without people populating it. But there can very well be people who have no country, or at best, people who can lay claim to a country as theirs but in the actual sense are excluded from practically every benefits of living in such a country even when they do everything they can to participate in the life of that country.
When this happens, conflict is inevitable because what is left is some very disgruntled people who look out for opportunities to lash out at others as resources are diminished.
The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations recently released its World Population Prospects 2022 wherein it projected among other things that the world`s population is projected to reach eight billion on 15 November 2021.
By the reports, the global population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030,9.7 billion in 2050 and 10.4 billion in 2100.
Also, as per the reports, more than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in just eight countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.
As per the report, Nigeria ranks as the sixth most populous country with a population of 216 million after China (1,426), India (1,412), United States of America (337), Indonesia (275) and Pakistan (234).
By 2050, Nigeria is expected to climb onto 4th place with a population of 375 million people.
In most cases, any increase is a cause for cheer and a sign of good health. However, experience has also shown that swelling for example can be a sign of a medical condition and a not too good one at that.
Nigeria`s population is growing rapidly, and data shows that it will only continue to grow. However, experts are worried that such a growth is an unplanned and a planless one which only lead to complications in the future as matching efforts are not being made to ensure that as Nigeria`s population grows, resources are being developed and opportunities maximized to carter for all.
This is crucial to avoid future complications that uniquely feature in the deadly competition for scarce resources.
Kene Obiezu,
