Prof Mundi said this at the 41st inaugural lecture of the University of Abuja, supported by the Development Research and Project Centre under the partnership for advocacy in child and family health at scale.
The lecture was themed, “The paradox of population growth in national development.”
Mundi said the nation’s population trajectory which will take the nation to over 400 million by 2050 is a disaster waiting to happen.
She, therefore, urged President Bola Tinubu to provide adequate funding for family planning, implement the national policy on population, and collaborate with subnational governments to ensure a productive population that will drive Nigeria’s growth.
She said though population growth is not a negative challenge, more people are pursuing fewer economic opportunities and the likelihood of banditry, criminality, and backwardness will spell doom for the country if left unchecked.
“I am calling on President Tinubu to implement the national population policy and invest in family planning. To solve the population paradox, it is imperative for Nigeria to accurately determine its population and implement measures to intentionally create a productive and manageable population. This will enable effective national planning and the realization of the country’s development objectives,” Mundi added.
She also emphasised the need for collaborative efforts at the national and subnational levels to address the challenges posed by the country’s increasing population.
“This is particularly important given the country’s current situation as a young democracy still in the process of development,” she said.
In advocating for the importance of family planning funding towards achieving demographic dividends and sustainable development, the Director of Projects at the Development Research and Projects Centre, Dr Stanley Ukpai highlighted the opportunity presented to the new administration in the fiscal year to build upon the policy processes established through the FP 2030 recommitment and the Family Planning Blueprint.
“This would ensure adequate and sustainable financing for family planning at all levels and consolidate the previous government’s efforts toward this crucial goal. Achieving FP 2030 policy recommitments is also a cardinal strategy for implementing the National Population Policy which has strong correlations with poverty reduction and sustainable economic development more broadly.
“Given the recent effort for economic recovery, Nigeria can do well to prioritise investment in family planning as a strategic course of action,” he said.
