…as participants say inadequate accessibility to scarce resources exacerbates gravious demographic effect
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BY JUDE OSSAI / ENUGU
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The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) on Thursday held a workshop in Enugu the Enugu State capital on population matters with a call for massive sensitisation and awareness to improve public and community population knowledge and positively shape perceptions.
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The one-day workshop was organised by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)/Transparency International in Nigeria under the aegis of Population Conversation in Nigeria, supported by Population Matters UK.
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In his lecture titled: “Capacity building workshop for the media, institutions and the public on imperative of population planning in Nigeria”, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani) Executive Director, CISLAC/TI-Nigeria agreed with the participants that, “There is a need for wider circulation of the fact-findings from survey individual and public attitudes towards population”.
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According to them, how the management is being handled in Nigeria contributes largely to demographic inadequate accessibility to scarce resources which exacerbates gravious demographic effect.
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They resolved that there should meaningful engagement with the youth backed by empowerment to change inherent population orientation to prevent future demographic catastrophe.
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Other resolutions included: “Immediate demographic record to ascertain accurate data to inform development planning. Enhaced youth engagement to shape orientation and awareness of population knowledge.
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“Social media engagement to expand sensitization outreach and integrate the youth into population conversations.
Strengthening engagement with policy makers and community leaders the imperative of population planning for sustainable development.
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“Activation of community engagement mechanisms like functional Constituency Offices, Traditional/Religious Institutions. Enhanced sensitization on community demand for accountability of resource generation and allocation to ensure impactful social services that improve quality of life. In-depth interrogation of budgetary allocation by the citizens to engender proper implementation that reflects peoples’ needs and expectation.
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“Enhanced citizenship engagement in budgeting process by state and non-state actors to access and absorb citizens’ socio-economic needs. Intensify engagements with religious leaders and traditional rulers to change perception of family planning and smaller family.”
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The participants which included Mrs Okorie Odinakachukwu, Director of National population Commission, Enugu State and others from the State Ministries, Media and Civil Society Organisations observed that the current world’s population has become so large that the earth cannot cope, neither is the replacement rates at equilibrium of sustainability.
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A recent update from October 2023 says the world population is at 8,063,848,386, a 063,843 leap from the eight billion projections released in November 2022 by the United Nations World Population Prospects. The sixth most populous nations in the world, Nigeria stands at 223,804,632 as of 2022. Nigeria’s population is projected to reach 400 million by 2050, doubling the current estimate, thus putting the country at a demographic nightmare.
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Since October 2023, CISLAC has been engaging stakeholders across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria while highlighting the criticality of population management for development as well as up-to-date population data for well-informed and holistic national planning and sustainable development.
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Recall, on February 13, 2024, CISLAC held a Nigeria Population Conversation Seminar, which amplified national voices and local actions via evidence-based advocacy towards sustainable population in Nigeria.
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The National Seminar identified lack of population planning as a main contributory factor to multiplier effects of youth unemployment, insecurity, inaccessible healthcare services, food insecurity, education inequality and other challenges that undermine socio-economic development of Nigeria.
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