Nigeria’s population is becoming a liability – Obasanjo

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has warned against population explosion in the country.

Obasanjo said Nigeria’s population is becoming a liability due to its improper management, saying, except something urgent is done, Nigeria may be declared the third largest country in 2050.

The former president called for population management in the face of the geometric population explosion without a corresponding socio-economic development, a situation which he said has slowed down national development.

He spoke in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital during a mentoring session with students of some selected schools across the country tagged “raising the next wave of innovative leaders through entrepreneurship.”

Obasanjo, while fielding questions from the students on mentorship, highlighted service to fatherland , integrity, loyalty and good moral standing as some of the virtues that could sustain them in their chosen careers in life.

Speaking on the state of the nation, the former president expressed worry over management of population of the country.

He said, “When COVID-19 struck, I decided to take the vaccine. I was worried that it would be like Ebola, thank God it has not been as devastating as Ebola.

“We have moved from 120 million to over 200 million. We have added the population of France to our population and if we continue the way we are going, by the year 2050 we will be the third-largest country in the world.

“If we still continue, by the year 3000, we would be the largest country in the world.

“We have moved from 120 million to over 200 million. We have added the population of France to our population and if we continue the way we are going, by the year 2050 we will be the third-largest country in the world.

“If we still continue, by the year 3000, we would be the largest country in the world.

He said, “One possible approach to reverse this trend would be to increase attention and funding for hands-on entrepreneurship and community service education.

“This will enable the young people to acquire the necessary 21st-century skills for jobs and self-employment.

“We urgently need a new paradigm for education. The new paradigm must provide students with a chance to learn while solving community problems and immediately applying what they have learnt in the classroom by actually doing something great.

“We now live in a world where any country can compete effectively with others based on the creative imagination of its human capital. There is no better place to stoke the fire of imagination than in the young people.”