By Kayode Adebiyi, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Since 1989, World Population Day has been observed on July 11 to highlight the role that population-related challenges play in issues surrounding national and international development.

The commemoration was established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), drawing inspiration from the 5 Billion Day marked on July 11, 1987, the day when the world’s population reached and crossed the 5 billion mark.

Between 1987 and 2011, the world’s population grew from 5 billion to 7 billion, with the UNDP estimating the world’s population to be more than 8.1 billion in 2025.

The observance of the day has become an exhortation for communities, institutions, governments, and the international community to understand the impact of a growing population on the well-being of the people.

The theme of this year’s commemoration, “Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world,” underscores the need for policymakers to prioritise the aspirations and rights of young people.

Although there is no universally agreed-upon international definition of the youth age group, reports from the UNDP and other multilateral organisations indicate that the world presently has the largest-ever generation of youth.

Therefore, the main objectives of the 2025 commemoration are to raise awareness about the growing global population and its impact; promote reproductive health and rights, especially for women and youth.

Others are to advocate gender equality and empower women to make informed family choices, and align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3) and Gender Equality (SDG 5).

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said on the occasion of the 2025 commemoration that the potential and promise of the largest youth generation ever should be celebrated.

He said, apart from shaping the future, the world’s youth population was demanding a future that was just, inclusive, and sustainable.

“This year’s theme reaffirms the promise of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development: that every person has the right to make informed choices about their lives and futures.

“Many young people today face economic uncertainty, gender inequality, health challenges, the climate crisis and conflict.

“Still, they are leading with courage, conscience and clarity; and they are calling for systems that uphold their rights and support their choices.

“I urge countries to invest in policies that ensure education, healthcare, decent work, and the full protection of their reproductive rights.

“Let us stand with young people and build a future where every person can shape their destiny in a world that is fair, peaceful, and full of hope,” he said.

However, the question on the lips of many Nigerians is, how do policymakers empower young Nigerians when there is no accurate population data?

Experts say accurate population data not only serves as the basis for a nation’s sound economic planning, but its social fabric is also deeply intertwined with its demographic realities.

They say the success of social development and welfare programmes, such as health provision, housing and urban development and social protection, heavily depends on population data.

For instance, data on school-age children, literacy rates, out-of-school children, and educational attainment levels are vital for planning the construction of new schools, allocating teachers, developing curricula, and ensuring equitable access to quality education.

Mr Imoemiye Powei, a child education expert, said that without credible and up-to-date population data, Nigeria could reliably dispute unfavourable development statistics from foreign institutions.

He was referring to the 2024 global data on out-of-school children, where UNESCO put Nigeria’s out-of-school children figure at an estimated 20 million.

The report was disputed by the Federal Government, which stressed that it did not reflect the true state of affairs in the country.

The government said it used data from the population commission.

“Mind you, how many Nigerians register the birth of their children, especially those in rural areas?

“Meanwhile, how dependable is data, any data, from the population commission, which has not conducted a census since 2006?

“We should see the report as a wake-up call, not an indictment,” Imoemiye said.

Worthy of note, Nigeria has not conducted a population census since 2006 due to a complex interplay of factors, primarily rooted in politicisation, funding challenges, and logistical hurdles.

Yet, some stakeholders insist that conducting regular and reliable censuses is not merely a statistical exercise; it is the bedrock upon which effective national planning and sustainable development must be built.

In January, the Senate directed the National Population Commission (NPC) to conduct a census in 2025.

The NPC indicated its readiness and plans for a biometric-based exercise to enhance accuracy and credibility.

However, the exact date still needs to be proclaimed by the President, and a separate budget for the exercise will need to be approved.

During the budget defence of the NPC, Sen. Diket Plang (APC-Plateau Central) said that he felt bad to discover that the country did not have credible data on the population of its citizenry.

“I feel very bad that we are still living on estimated population figures.

“I also feel bad that we are still postulating and relying on data supplied by foreign bodies, which is more or less demeaning to us among the committee of nations.

“We want to know our population. Nigeria should be counted this year,” he said.

Sen. Olalere Oyewumi (PDP-Osun West) shared Plang’s sentiment.

“The 2025 budget of NPC should revolve around the population census, which must be done this year because the demographic characteristics of the population figures being bandied about the country now are not known.

“The NPC should get its act together for the President to proclaim the population census, which in itself will facilitate provisions for the desired money,” he said.

As Nigeria joins other countries to celebrate the 2025 World Population Day, the importance of population data is once again emphasised because it provides the essential demographic intelligence required for evidence-based decision-making.

Experts say population data also ensures equitable resource distribution and the formulation of policies that genuinely address the needs and aspirations of the nation’s diverse population.(NANFeatures)

***If used, please credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria.

By Abujah Racheal, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

While her peers were preparing to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, 16-year-old Zuhara (not real name) was withdrawn from school in May 2025. The reason is that she became pregnant.

In her remote village of Shere, a community located about 13km from an urban centre, access to healthcare is limited and conversations about sex, menstruation and contraception are not robust.

Zuhara said she walked nearly 50km to school and travelled long distances to get basic medication.

“There are no youth-friendly clinics, no female doctors, and no spaces where I can ask questions. My pregnancy was unplanned and entirely preventable,” she said.

 Zuhara’s story mirrors the lives of many Nigerian female adolescents.

In a country with one of the highest adolescent fertility rates in the world – 117 births per 1,000 girls aged 15 years to 19 years, adolescents like Zuhara remain trapped in cycles of silence, stigma and lost potential.

This crisis formed the heart of the recent National Policy Dialogue on Improving Adolescent Access to Quality Sexual and Reproductive Health Services convened in Abuja by Nigeria Health Watch and partners.

With the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals deadline approaching and donor support shrinking, the desire of stakeholders is that Nigeria should do its best to adequately fund girls’ reproductive health and rights services. 

Nigeria’s commitments under the FP2030 family planning initiative are ambitious, with stakeholders hoping earnestly for its effective delivery.

A recent Integrated Community Listening Survey conducted in six states by Nigeria Health Watch revealed that 50 per cent of respondents, especially those aged 18 years to 34 years, still struggle to access Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) services.

“Despite decades of investments, we are still battling low awareness, long distances to health centres, stigma and weak service delivery,” said Ms Anwuli Nwankwo, Knowledge Management Lead at Nigeria Health Watch.

Nwankwo said that cultural norms and misinformation remained major barriers to accessing the services. 

“While primary healthcare centres remain the first point of contact for most people, many of these facilities are poorly equipped to deliver comprehensive SRHR services.

“In many states, there are no budget lines, and, therefore, no services.

“While adolescent girls are paying the price in lost opportunities, state governments are being called to action to fund and own their reproductive health programmes,” she said. 

Dr Tomi Coker, Commissioner for Health, Ogun, said that the state got 0.04 dollars per capita in donor funding.

Coker said in spite of that situation, Ogun had remained committed to providing the services, funding its MAMI project, procuring essential medicines, and sustaining supply chains through state resources.

According to her, the success was made possible by a co-funding model introduced by The Challenge Initiative (TCI), which shifts responsibility from donors to governments overtime.

“We cannot keep waiting for handouts. This is about national sovereignty,” she said.

In Kano State, innovation is driving change, according to Mr Aminu Bashir, Permanent Secretary, Kano State Ministry of Health.

Bashir said that the state had established the Kano Health Trust Fund, which he described as the first of its kind in Nigeria.

Bashir added that the fund pooled resources from all 44 local government areas of the state and the state’s internally generated revenue, with a dedicated percentage allocated to family planning.

“For the first time, Kano State earmarked ₦500million in its budget solely for family planning,” he said.

He said that the commitment was supported through a tripartite arrangement involving the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lafiya Project and the Kano State Government, enabling sustained funding for SRHR interventions.

For Malam Talle Ghali Dambazau, an Assistant Director of Education working on adolescents and reproductive health in Nigeria’s education sector, state-level implementation of the Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE) curriculum is key.

Dambazau called for deeper collaboration between national and subnational governments to ensure that trained teachers and linked health services would reach young people effectively.

He noted that in 2023, the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Education jointly committed to a national framework for youths’ well-being, which aimed to integrate school-based education with health services, psychosocial support and hygiene interventions.

Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, emphasised that family planning was not just a health issue but also a strategic lever for economic growth, gender equality, and national resilience.

Pate reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to delivering integrated, rights-based SRHR services, highlighting strategic priorities such as expanding youth-friendly health services, deploying digital platforms and mobile clinics, and strengthening supply chains through the Procurement and Value Chain Advisory Council.

He also highlighted enhancement of data systems via DHIS2 to enable real-time disaggregated decision-making.

In all these, some stakeholders said that implementation across states remained patchy, arguing that with Nigeria’s education system, curriculum delivery in FLHE had often been inconsistent and poor for adolescent females in remote communities.

They emphasised the role of technology in the delivery of services.

Dr Fatima Bunza, Country Director of Tiko Nigeria, recommended a hybrid solution using smartphone-based services and eco-cards distributed by trained mobilisers.

“Low-tech isn’t a fallback. It is a core part of our model. We are reaching girls others cannot,” Bunza said.

Also, in an effort to provide solutions, Lola AI, a WhatsApp-based tool developed by Healthtracka, is providing confidential SRHR information to female adolescents.

“Lola speaks to girls kindly in their language on a platform they use daily,” said Ms Testimony Adeyemi, Marketing Lead of Lola AI.

Ms Mashishi Mokgadi, Africa Access Lead at Organon, shared the story of a 15-year-old Lucy, who became pregnant due to lack of contraceptives, dropped out of school, and was married off.

“Lucy’s story is a national economic loss. It touches every Sustainable Development Goal. We cannot keep watering the plants while the house is burning,” Mokgadi said.

She gave the assurance that Organon had committed to preventing 120 million unintended pregnancies by 2030.

She said that the organisation was already over halfway to achieving the goal.

She called on African governments to create specific budget lines for family planning, eliminate legal barriers that restricted adolescent access to services and begin to frame health budgets as an investment rather than a cost.

Ms Margaret Bolaji, Youth Partnerships Officer at FP2030, advocated youth-led accountability mechanisms and highlighted tools such as the “Lemon” STI self-testing kits for girls.

Ms Peace Umanah of IYAFP said, “Stop being vague. Funders are moved by authenticity. We must speak from our lived experience.”

Analysts urge intensified efforts to prevent adolescents from dying in childbirth or getting stuck in poverty due to preventable pregnancies, saying that adolescents such as Zuhara should be seen, heard and empowered.

They strongly believe that political will and financial commitment are needed to achieve the aims, saying that funding adolescent SRHR is a long-term investment in Nigeria’s future.

They are hopeful that Nigeria will do more to increase and sustain investments in its female adolescents in an effort to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and build a bright future for them and the country at large.(NANFeatures)

*** If used, please credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)