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FG has no plan to control population, says Perm Sec

Published

7 years ago

May 4, 2019

The Federal Government has disclosed that it has no plan to think about population control even though the geometric growth of 3.2 Per cent is in clear variance to the nation’s Gross Domestic product (GDP) of less than two per cent.

Recall that the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), on Sunday, April 28, 2019, put Nigeria’s at 201 million.

Giving an insight at the presentation of the 2019 Regional Economic Outlook by the International Monetary Bank (IMF), Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Ministry of Finance, Dr Mohammed Dikwa, said “As of now, the government is not even sure to make any policy to control population growth. We won’t have much problem with the population growth for now; but if the need be, the government has every right to look into it and make consultations for us, including state governments, on what to do.”

However, development economist had been decrying lack of population control measures in an economy that is in dire lack of jobs and basic amenities of life, saying jumping population will continue to weigh down the already inadequate infrastructure and further breed endemic poverty.