Nigeria Risks Squandering Demographic Dividend Without Urgent Investment in Youth, Leaders Warn

Nigeria’s hope of reaping the economic benefits of its rapidly growing youthful population is under serious threat unless governments at all levels make urgent investments in education, healthcare, jobs, skills acquisition and reliable population data, top government officials, lawmakers, the United Nations and development experts warned on Tuesday.

The stark warning dominated the 2026 World Population Day commemoration in Abuja, where stakeholders argued that the country’s population could either become its greatest economic asset or its biggest development burden, depending on the choices made today.

The gathering, which brought together ministers, the National Population Commission (NPC), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), lawmakers, traditional rulers, civil society organisations and youth representatives, urged authorities to move beyond rhetoric and implement policies capable of unlocking Nigeria’s long-awaited demographic dividend.

Chairman of the National Population Commission, Dr. Aminu Yusuf, said the country’s large youth population alone would not translate into economic prosperity without deliberate investments that produce a healthy, educated and productive workforce.

“A demographic dividend is not created by numbers alone,” Yusuf said. “It is created when a country makes the right investments and establishes the right policies to ensure that its growing working-age population is healthy, educated, skilled, productive and economically engaged.”

He warned that rising adolescent pregnancies, inadequate access to reproductive healthcare and the exclusion of young people from decision-making continue to undermine the country’s development prospects.

Yusuf insisted that young Nigerians must become active participants in shaping national policies rather than remaining passive beneficiaries of government programmes.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, described Nigeria’s youthful population as one of the country’s greatest comparative advantages, saying the Federal Government is pursuing reforms aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children, expanding technical and vocational education, promoting science and technology education, strengthening teacher quality and improving digital literacy.

Representing the United Nations Secretary-General, Ms. Muriel Mafico said Nigeria’s future depends on how well it invests in its young people, warning that widening inequality continues to deny millions of youths, particularly girls, rural communities and displaced persons, access to education, healthcare and decent employment.

“The gap between aspiration and reality is not inevitable,” she said. “It is a product of inequality, and inequality can be changed.”

UNFPA Executive Director, Ms. Diene Keita, whose message was delivered by the agency’s Nigeria Representative, Ms. Zubaina Abubakar, noted that Nigerians between the ages of 10 and 24 account for nearly one-third of the country’s population, making youth investment central to sustainable economic growth.

She, however, observed that economic hardship, insecurity and limited opportunities are preventing many young Nigerians from achieving their aspirations.

Beyond youth investment, the event reignited the debate over Nigeria’s long-delayed national census.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Identity and Population, Senator Victor Umeh, called for an amendment to the Constitution to make it mandatory for Nigeria to conduct a national population census every 10 years.

Nigeria last conducted a census in 2006.

According to Umeh, the absence of current population figures has weakened development planning, resource allocation and public policy formulation.

“There is no reason why we should not put the interval for conduct of national census in the Constitution,” he said.

He disclosed that the National Assembly is also supporting the deployment of technology for birth, death and marriage registration to improve the country’s demographic database.

Similarly, Executive Director of the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN), Dr. Abubakar Okai, stressed that credible population data remains indispensable for effective planning in education, healthcare, infrastructure and social services.

Traditional rulers also joined the campaign for stronger youth development.

The Emir of Shanga, Dr. Haliru Ndanusa Yahaya, called for closer collaboration between government institutions and traditional leaders to deepen awareness on population issues, while advocating greater investment in girls’ education.

Representing the Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Anthony Chukwuka said empowering young Nigerians with relevant skills and opportunities has become an economic necessity, noting that more than 70 per cent of the country’s population is below the age of 35.

Youth representative, Miss Ivanna Itoandon, challenged policymakers to include young people in decisions affecting their future, insisting that youth voices should be reflected in national development planning.

Special Adviser to the President on Health, Dr. Salma Ibrahim Anas, said the Federal Government is shifting towards a more comprehensive healthcare system that gives greater attention to women, adolescents and vulnerable groups while treating young people as partners in programme implementation.

Representing the Minister of Women Affairs, Ajia Amina Danjuma argued that population should no longer be viewed merely as statistics but as human potential capable of driving national development.

Closing the event, Director-General of the National Population Commission, Abuh Muhammad, urged governments to sustain investments in education, healthcare, innovation, digital inclusion, employment and gender equality, warning that the aspirations of Nigeria’s youth cannot be achieved through speeches and annual commemorations alone.

The event, held under the theme “Realizing the Hopes and Aspirations of Young People Today and for the Future,” ended with a consensus that Nigeria’s demographic future will ultimately depend not on the size of its population, but on the quality of investments made in its people and the availability of credible data to guide national planning.