The Chairman of the National Population Commission in Nigeria, Mr Aminu Yusuf, says managing Nigeria’s population requires resources, political will and national ownership.
He made the statement during the 13th Annual Population Lecture Series in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
Mr Yusuf called on “Policymakers, private sector leaders, and civil society to listen, to engage, and to commit to the recommendations that will emerge from this hall.”
The NPC Chairman also urged stakeholders to “Work together to build a funding framework that is resilient, homegrown, and sustainable.”
He said the series marked a significant milestone in the Commission’s “journey to place population management at the very heart of Nigeria’s development agenda.”
The NPC Chairman reiterated that “Since its inception in 2012, the APLS has served as a premier policy dialogue forum, bringing together the finest minds to interrogate Nigeria’s demographic dynamics.”
He added that the stakeholders were gathered not “just to observe tradition, but to confront one of the most pressing challenges of our time—the sustainability of our population and development agenda.”
Mr Yusuf said the Commission had chosen for this year’s lecture the theme: “Emerging global funding realities: Impact on population activities and need for innovative domestic resource mobilisation.”
He further stated that “The context and the Theme” were apt, as “Nigeria’s rapid population growth places immense pressure on our economy, infrastructure, and our collective progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
For decades, the National Population Commission, working with the Federal Government, had strived to manage these dynamics, focusing on fertility management, maternal health, child survival, and the pursuit of a demographic dividend.