President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated the Revised National Policy on Population for Sustainable Development, calling for urgent measures to address high fertility rate, through expanding access to modern contraceptive methods across the country.
His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina in a
statement said the President also launched the National Council on
Population Management, NCPM, chaired by him, and the Vice
President, Yemi Osinbajo, as deputy chairman with heads of relevant
Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs as members.
Buahri, while commenting on the revised population policy, noted that
its overall goal is to improve quality of life and standards of living of all
Nigerians, which is one of the major aspirations of the government
He also noted that the country’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).
The President however explained that it underscores the importance of
investing in quality education of young people (particularly girls),
human capital development, advancing holistic effort to achieve
significant demographic transition.
