NAN-HE- 16
Policies
By Cecilia ologunagba
Abuja, Feb. 10, 2017 (NAN) A professor of Bio-statistics, Prof. Teju Jolayemi, has advised the Federal Government to address the increasing population by formulating policies that would address the growth rate.
Jolayemi, a lecturer at the University of Ilorin, Kwara gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.
He said that the government should also conduct population census to enhance effective planning and sustainable development.
The don said that population census should be done every 10 years to factor in changes over the years.
“We have not started planning now, the last population census we had was in 2006.
“So, it is already more than 10 years and that is one of the reasons the period is suggested because things are changing.
“Growth in any community is influenced by fertility, death and migration.
“Fertility; that is the number of those being born in a community.
“Death; that is the number of taken away from the community and migration which could be immigration or emigration,’’ he said.
According to him, people are not coming to settle in Nigeria as such so focus is not on migration.
Jolayemi said that growth was majorly influenced by fertility, death is also an influential thing but uncontrollable.
“It is our fertility we can control; that is why there is no any other parameter that we want to influence to reduce our growth other than fertility.
“Our population will double in 17 and half years with the present 3.5 per cent growth rate now,’’ he said.
Jolayemi said that developed countries had been able to achieve effective planning and sustainable development with the aid of statistics.
He, however, urged government to address high illiteracy rate of data usage in the country by sensitising Nigerians on the importance of statistics.
He advised the government to invest in the key sectors of the economy to take the country from recession.
“First, the government should revive the manufacturing sector, invest in agriculture and also there should be investment in electricity.
“If you want this country to go into manufacturing, there should be capital; when you are giving people loans at two digits interest rate, nobody will get out of it.
“Also, electricity must come in, manufacturing must come in, added value sector must come in; they are interwoven.
“Almost every sector must be touched as you are doing that, education must receive attention, so all of us must also put our hands together to fix the economy.’’ the don said. (NAN)
CIA/GY
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Edited by Grace Yussuf