Editorial
Managing Nigeria’s Population
Against the backdrop of this year’s World Population Day to be observed on Sunday, 11th July, 2021, the United Nations (UN) has informed on the urgency for people and states to be circumspect about the ungovernable growing populace of the world. Current estimates the world body projected indicate that no fewer than 83 million people are added to the global population each year.
According to the UN, the world’s population is assumed to reach an alarming 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 20100, supporting the medium-variant forecast. Based on this projection, states have been fully cautioned to promote attendance in this year’s anniversary to enhance consciousness and foster realisation of specific population issues.
Issues such as the impact of family planning on the rising populace, gender parity, maternal and infant health, poverty, human rights, sex education, contraceptive usage and safety procedures, like contraceptives, reproductive health, teenage pregnancy, girl-child education, teenage marriage and sexually transmitted infections have been pinpointed as mandatory to accomplish beneficial global population control and regulation.
Characterised by the theme: “Rights and Choices Are The Answer: Whether it is a baby boom or depression, the solution to changing fertility is to give priority to the reproductive health and rights of all”, the World Population Day was ratified in 1989 by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to direct attention to the contingency and significance of population matters.
Sources have acknowledged that it took hundreds of thousands of years for the world population to advance to 1 billion. Then in just another 200 years or so, it increased sevenfold. In 2011, the universal population attained the seven billion mark, and today, it stands at 7.7 billion. Given this scenery, many states are showing growing apprehensions over changing fertility rates.
This growth has been stimulated by multiplying collections of people remaining to reproductive age and has been accompanied by considerable transformations in productivity projections, spreading urbanisation and boosting migration. These tendencies will have far-reaching ramifications for generations to come.
Of related consideration is Nigeria’s burgeoning population, which came under renewed focus when former President Olusegun Obasanjo advised against population explosion in the country. According to the elder statesman, the nation’s population was growing into a liability because of its improper management and warned that, except something was done, they might declare Nigeria the third-largest state in the world.
Obasanjo’s reprimand was appropriate and in tandem with reality. An International Monetary Fund (IMF) statement, as contained in its World Economic Outlook released after the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings, should prompt Nigeria to cease ignoring its population crisis and come up with innovative strategies to harness and check population increase for speedy advancement.
In 2017, the IMF saw some positive proofs of recovery, and it explained that this would enable Nigeria to outperform its mainland competitor, South Africa, in terms of GDP growth. The indicators included the relative stability and moderate enhancement of the oil industry, with policy initiatives and sufficient rain, as well as the cost and expansion of the agricultural sector.
But the fly in the ointment was the population bomb. With the prevailing population increase rate at 2.60%, GDP must expand at a higher figure to promote the Human Development Index. According to the UNDP, huge populations can advocate development if well exploited, but badly managed can hinder progress and plunge most people in populous countries into poverty.
The UN’s 2017 World Population Prospects stated that Nigeria had a population of 185.59 million, ranking seventh, and would exceed 300 million by 2050, becoming the world’s third-largest population after India and China, replacing Indonesia, the United States and Pakistan. Additional estimates by the World Bank stated that Nigeria’s per capita GDP was US$2,178. Despite being the strongest economy in Africa, it was, nevertheless, a poor country. Both South Africa and Egypt had per capita GDP of US$5,273 and US$3,514 respectively.
Therefore, to make substantial progress, Nigeria must manage its population. China and India have demonstrated right the late Chairman Mao Zedong’s aphorism that “a country’s greatest wealth is its people” by traversing from poor, agrarian economies to become the world’s second and seventh-largest economies by exploiting their vast pool of cheap labour to mass-produce agricultural, mineral and consumer goods.
There is a serious demand for a rejuvenated determination and political will to enforce the National Policy on Population for Sustainable Development outlining a sectorial strategy to deal with our multiplying population, rolled out in 2004, but abandoned thereafter. Nigeria should quicken and reinvigorate its family planning programme of four children per couple, promoted by General Ibrahim Babangida’s military administration.
Governments at all levels must join hands and work with donors, NGOs, and local communities to go over all parts of the country and reduce cultural and religious assumptions encouraging ownership of so many children. This should be followed by effective economic plans for modern agriculture, manufacturing, and innovation. The population of an advanced modern society abhors having many offspring.
Nigeria’s Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has unveiled a gratuitous proposal to increase the salaries of political and public office holders in the country. This plan seeks to fatten the pay packets of the president, vice-president, governors, deputy governors, and members of the National and State Assemblies. At a time when the nation is struggling to steady its economy, the suggestion that political leaders should be rewarded with more money is not only misplaced but insulting to the sensibilities of the ordinary Nigerian.
What makes the proposal even more opprobrious is the dire economic condition under which citizens currently live. The cost of living crisis has worsened, inflation has eroded the purchasing power of workers, and the naira continues to tumble against foreign currencies. The majority of Nigerians are living hand to mouth, with many unable to afford basic foodstuffs, medical care, and education. Against this backdrop, political office holders, who already enjoy obscene allowances, perks, and privileges, should not even contemplate a salary increase.
It is, therefore, not surprising that the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has stepped in to challenge this development. SERAP has filed a lawsuit against the RMAFC to halt the implementation of this salary increment. This resolute move represents a voice of reason and accountability at a time when public anger against political insensitivity is palpable. The group is rightly insisting that the law must serve as a bulwark against impunity.
According to a statement issued by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the commission has been dragged before the Federal High Court in Abuja. Although a hearing date remains unconfirmed, the momentous step of seeking judicial redress reflects a determination to hold those in power accountable. SERAP has once again positioned itself as a guardian of public interest by challenging an elite-centric policy.
The case, registered as suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1834/2025, specifically asks the court to determine “whether RMAFC’s proposed salary hike for the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers in Nigeria is not unlawful, unconstitutional and inconsistent with the rule of law.” This formidable question goes to the very heart of democratic governance: can those entrusted with public resources decide their own pay rises without violating the constitution and moral order?
In its pleadings, SERAP argues that the proposed hike runs foul of both the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and the RMAFC Act. By seeking a judicial declaration that such a move is unlawful, unconstitutional, and inconsistent with the rule of law, the group has placed a spotlight on the tension between self-serving leadership and constitutionalism. To trivialise such an issue would be harum-scarum, for the constitution remains the supreme authority guiding governance.
We wholeheartedly commend SERAP for standing firm, while we roundly condemn RMAFC’s selfish proposal. Political office should never be an avenue for financial aggrandisement. Since our leaders often pontificate sacrifice to citizens, urging them to tighten their belts in the face of economic turbulence, the same leaders must embody sacrifice themselves. Anything short of this amounts to double standards and betrayal of trust.
The Nigerian economy is not buoyant enough to shoulder the additional cost of a salary increase for political leaders. Already, lawmakers and executives enjoy allowances that are grossly disproportionate to the national average income. These earnings are sufficient not only for their needs but also their unchecked greed. To even consider further increments under present circumstances is egregious, a slap in the face of ordinary workers whose minimum wage remains grossly insufficient.
Resources earmarked for such frivolities should instead be channelled towards alleviating the suffering of citizens and improving the nation’s productive capacity. According to United Nations statistics, about 62.9 per cent of Nigerians were living in multidimensional poverty in 2021, compared to 53.7 per cent in 2017. Similarly, nearly 30.9 per cent of the population lives below the international poverty line of US$2.15 per day. These figures paint a stark picture: Nigeria is a poor country by all measurable standards, and any extra naira diverted to elite pockets deepens this misery.
Besides, the timing of this proposal could not be more inappropriate. At a period when unemployment is soaring, inflation is crippling households, and insecurity continues to devastate communities, the RMAFC has chosen to pursue elite enrichment. It is widely known that Nigeria’s economy is in a parlous state, and public resources should be conserved and wisely invested. Political leaders must show prudence, not profligacy.
Another critical dimension is the national debt profile. According to the Debt Management Office, Nigeria’s total public debt as of March 2025 stood at a staggering N149.39 trillion. External debt obligations also remain heavy, with about US$43 billion outstanding by September 2024. In such a climate of debt-servicing and borrowing to fund budgets, it is irresponsible for political leaders to even table the idea of inflating their salaries further. Debt repayment, not self-reward, should occupy their minds.
This ignoble proposal is insensitive, unnecessary, and profoundly reckless. It should be discarded without further delay. Public office is a trust, not an entitlement to wealth accumulation. Nigerians deserve leaders who will share in their suffering, lead by example, and prioritise the common good over self-indulgence. Anything less represents betrayal of the social contract and undermines the fragile democracy we are striving to build.
Nigeria’s Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has unveiled a gratuitous proposal to increase the salaries of political and public office holders in the country. This plan seeks to fatten the pay packets of the president, vice-president, governors, deputy governors, and members of the National and State Assemblies. At a time when the nation is struggling to steady its economy, the suggestion that political leaders should be rewarded with more money is not only misplaced but insulting to the sensibilities of the ordinary Nigerian.
What makes the proposal even more opprobrious is the dire economic condition under which citizens currently live. The cost of living crisis has worsened, inflation has eroded the purchasing power of workers, and the naira continues to tumble against foreign currencies. The majority of Nigerians are living hand to mouth, with many unable to afford basic foodstuffs, medical care, and education. Against this backdrop, political office holders, who already enjoy obscene allowances, perks, and privileges, should not even contemplate a salary increase.
It is, therefore, not surprising that the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has stepped in to challenge this development. SERAP has filed a lawsuit against the RMAFC to halt the implementation of this salary increment. This resolute move represents a voice of reason and accountability at a time when public anger against political insensitivity is palpable. The group is rightly insisting that the law must serve as a bulwark against impunity.
According to a statement issued by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the commission has been dragged before the Federal High Court in Abuja. Although a hearing date remains unconfirmed, the momentous step of seeking judicial redress reflects a determination to hold those in power accountable. SERAP has once again positioned itself as a guardian of public interest by challenging an elite-centric policy.
The case, registered as suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1834/2025, specifically asks the court to determine “whether RMAFC’s proposed salary hike for the president, vice-president, governors and their deputies, and lawmakers in Nigeria is not unlawful, unconstitutional and inconsistent with the rule of law.” This formidable question goes to the very heart of democratic governance: can those entrusted with public resources decide their own pay rises without violating the constitution and moral order?
In its pleadings, SERAP argues that the proposed hike runs foul of both the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and the RMAFC Act. By seeking a judicial declaration that such a move is unlawful, unconstitutional, and inconsistent with the rule of law, the group has placed a spotlight on the tension between self-serving leadership and constitutionalism. To trivialise such an issue would be harum-scarum, for the constitution remains the supreme authority guiding governance.
We wholeheartedly commend SERAP for standing firm, while we roundly condemn RMAFC’s selfish proposal. Political office should never be an avenue for financial aggrandisement. Since our leaders often pontificate sacrifice to citizens, urging them to tighten their belts in the face of economic turbulence, the same leaders must embody sacrifice themselves. Anything short of this amounts to double standards and betrayal of trust.
The Nigerian economy is not buoyant enough to shoulder the additional cost of a salary increase for political leaders. Already, lawmakers and executives enjoy allowances that are grossly disproportionate to the national average income. These earnings are sufficient not only for their needs but also their unchecked greed. To even consider further increments under present circumstances is egregious, a slap in the face of ordinary workers whose minimum wage remains grossly insufficient.
Resources earmarked for such frivolities should instead be channelled towards alleviating the suffering of citizens and improving the nation’s productive capacity. According to United Nations statistics, about 62.9 per cent of Nigerians were living in multidimensional poverty in 2021, compared to 53.7 per cent in 2017. Similarly, nearly 30.9 per cent of the population lives below the international poverty line of US$2.15 per day. These figures paint a stark picture: Nigeria is a poor country by all measurable standards, and any extra naira diverted to elite pockets deepens this misery.
Besides, the timing of this proposal could not be more inappropriate. At a period when unemployment is soaring, inflation is crippling households, and insecurity continues to devastate communities, the RMAFC has chosen to pursue elite enrichment. It is widely known that Nigeria’s economy is in a parlous state, and public resources should be conserved and wisely invested. Political leaders must show prudence, not profligacy.
Another critical dimension is the national debt profile. According to the Debt Management Office, Nigeria’s total public debt as of March 2025 stood at a staggering N149.39 trillion. External debt obligations also remain heavy, with about US$43 billion outstanding by September 2024. In such a climate of debt-servicing and borrowing to fund budgets, it is irresponsible for political leaders to even table the idea of inflating their salaries further. Debt repayment, not self-reward, should occupy their minds.
This ignoble proposal is insensitive, unnecessary, and profoundly reckless. It should be discarded without further delay. Public office is a trust, not an entitlement to wealth accumulation. Nigerians deserve leaders who will share in their suffering, lead by example, and prioritise the common good over self-indulgence. Anything less represents betrayal of the social contract and undermines the fragile democracy we are striving to build.
