Nigeria’s Population Might Hit 450 Million By 2050 – Ejike Oji

Nigeria’s population might surge to 450 million if urgent action is not taken to address the growing population, experts have said.

The concerns were recently raised at a media roundtable ahead of the eighth Nigeria Family Planning Conference organized by the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning, and Nigerians have been reacting.

According to the Chairman of the Management Committee, AAFP, and Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the conference, Dr Ejike Oji, Nigeria’s fertility rate is very high right now, and there is a clear need to reduce the rate to four per cent.

He added that if we do not bring down our fertility rates, by the year 2050, our population will be about 450 million.

His words, “If we continue with the same fertility rate that we have now, our population is going to be driven to 450 million by 2050.

If we do not bring down our fertility rates, by the year 2050, we will be 450 million, based on the percentage increase every year. Every year, we add about four million people to our population. So if you look at that, you know that it’s going to be a lot of problems for us.

Remember that the increase is geometric. It’s not that it will stop at four million because there’s a percentage driving it. It’s four million this year; next year, it might be 4.2 million; the following year, it might be 4.5 million; it may get to a point where it might be five million or 10 million every year.

If you look at the two major populations in the world, which everybody is pointing at, India and China. China is the second-largest economy in the world, followed by China. They were very poor countries 50 years ago. But they turned the tide by cutting down their fertility rates and then investing in their young population. Nigeria has that opportunity. If we miss it now, if we don’t bring our fertility rate down to four per cent, by the year 2030, we’re going to be in serious trouble.”

WOW.