Nigeria’s population might explode by 2050 ― NPC Commissioner

A Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission (NPC) and gubernatorial aspirant under the banner of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Dr Mohammed Abdulmalik Durunguwa, has said with the rate our population is going it might explode in 2050.

Durunguwa noted that the nation’s population is growing very fast which may make it, one of the most populous countries in the world.

“But if compare to the slim resources at its disposal which may not cater for the entire population we are heading towards explosion,” he declared.

He dropped the hint while speaking with Journalists at the NUJ Secretariat, Kaduna on Thursday.

According to him, the incorrect data about Nigeria’s population figure was responsible for the different crises in the country.

He said youths that are involved in criminal activities like Boko Haram in the North East, Bandits, EndSARS protesters and IPOB in the South East are all products of inaccurate figures of the country’s population which is rising fast without being properly managed.

“The National Population Commission where I belong to or my primary assignment now, which I will sooner or later quit from it is trying to do its best with the brain of the new Commissioners. Since President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn into office and with our National Chairman, I am telling you that we are doing whatever is humanly possible to change the narrative for Nigerians because if we don’t know how many we are, we will never get it right.

“Another huge challenge we have at hand as a Nation is our population. We are doing everything possible at the national population Commission to change our narratives else in 2050 if we are not careful, Nigeria will become the most populous country in the world because Nigeria’s population is growing more than geometrics, compare to the resources we have and that is why we are having a different crisis in this country.

“The youths that are involved in criminal activities like the Boko Haram in the North East, Bandits, EndSARS protesters and IPOB in the South East are all our children.

“This is where we begin to manage the kind of people we have, honestly speaking we should continue to think about this thing and I am telling you, that you Journalists God has blessed us in Nigeria with good Journalists who can write things. In fact, some can even write things that can turn this country upside down, either positively or negatively.

“So we must begin to send in the signal so that all of us can be able to sleep well in Nigeria and concentrate well because if we don’t manage our population, to God who made me, I don’t know where we will be running to.

“Any leader in this country that is not looking at this time bomb that is moving in this country, I swear, he is a liar and is not a true leader, such leader does not even know what he is doing.

“All this nonsense that is happening in Nigeria can be stopped, but we need sincere leaders, honest Leaders. If we don’t have leaders with these qualities I am telling you these things will not stop.

“Any time I have the opportunity I will always want to share a few things that can inspire people and also portray that I have gotten the privilege to serve this country and I happened to be in one of those places in this country where we need to ask ourselves questions. In fact, if we all sit down and ask ourselves questions now, how many are we in Nigeria, nobody will give us the answer.

“We have a lot of issues in this country that is built around demography. Our demography, we need to look at it critically. We have to look at the habitats of Nigeria and know how many we are and know who they are.

“Because whatever you are doing in this country, if you don’t have proper data or proper figure you can never get it right. And most especially when you have data or figures that are lies.

“In this country, I am urging everybody to begin to ask his or herself, why do we like telling lies? Can we actually make Nigeria forward with lies? Can we make Nigeria forward with fake things?

“Can we make Nigeria forward without being honest to each other? Can we move Nigeria forward without first believing that we are Nigerians irrespective of your religion, ethnicity or where you come from?

“Honestly speaking we have to change our narratives, look beyond our religion, ethnicity and focus more on who we are rather than our differences am telling you by doing this, we will find solutions to the problems of Nigeria. Let us begin to look at ourselves as human beings and that is what will move all of us forward,” Durunguwa said.

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