World's population

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

India is soon to overtake China as the world’s most populated country, according to the United Nations Population Division.

John Wilmoth, the director of the UN Population Division, stated this at a press conference held on Monday at the UN’s New York headquarters.

Wilmoth asserted that the fertility rates in the two countries were the primary cause of this trend, stating that China and India together made up more than one-third of the world’s eight billion people.

Wilmoth was quoted as saying, “By the end of April, India’s population is expected to reach 1,425,775,850 people, with projections indicating further growth for several decades more.

“That’s slightly higher than China’s global record of 1.4 billion in 2022.

“China’s population reached its peak size in 2022 and has begun to decline.

“Projections indicate that the size of the Chinese population could drop below one billion before the end of the century.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Africa Heath Budget Network (AHBN) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to redouble efforts in determining to achieve the Family Planning (FP).

Dr. Aminu Magashi Garba, the AHBN Coordinator, made the call in a statement Monday to commemorate the World Population Day of 2022.

He added that the government should also make family planning information, commodities and services available and accessible to all.

He stated that these places should be provided especially in hard-to-reach areas, adding that, “this will curb teenage pregnancy significantly.”

As Nigeria has the largest population in Africa, the Federal Government was reportedly launched the 2030 FP commitment in March 2022, in Abuja.

The Daily Reality gathered that the federal government intents were, “by the end of 2030, Nigeria envisions a country where everyone including adolescents, young people, populations affected by crisis and other vulnerable populations are able to make informed choices, have equitable and affordable access to quality family planning and participate as equals in society’s development.”

Magashi further called on the federal government to maximize its bulging youthful population by improving on the quality of and access to education.

He added that, “The issue of recurrent strike action in the education sector such as the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) should be addressed once and for all.

“The youth should also be empowered and given the relevant skills to enable them contribute in resolving national challenges.

“We call on the government to also make family planning information, commodities and services available and accessible to all, especially those in hard-to-reach areas – this will curb teenage pregnancy significantly.

“The Federal and state governments should take the issues of the provision of family planning commodities serious by ensuring its availability free of charge in all government clinics across the country.

“This can be achieved by the payment of counterpart funding and the provision of funds for logistics by all tiers of governments,” the statement added.