Nigeria Faces Population Bubble, Says US Envoy
Obinna Chima
The United States of America’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stuart Symington, yesterday said Nigeria faces a population bubble, and urged policy makers in the country to ensure proper planning to address the situation when it arises.
Symington said this in a keynote address at the two-day 2017 national conference organised by the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA), titled: ‘Productivity and Employee Well-being in a Time of Recession and Insurgency,’ in Lagos.
He was represented by the Commercial Counselor at the US Commercial Service, Brent Omdahl.
He predicted that at the growth rate of its population, Nigeria might overtake the US as the third most populous country in the world by 2050.
Symington, however, stressed that the US has overarching priority in Nigeria.
“Whether it is in tackling diseases such as polio and other communicable diseases, or in tackling terrorism in the North, the US government is fully committed in assisting Nigeria to save lives.
“We are here to support government in whatever way. Nigeria faces a population dividend or a population bubble, depending on how you look at the situation.
“How you go about these issues would be determined by the decisions made by the government as well as Nigerian civil society.
“The US is committed to supporting Nigerian Government to create an enabling environment and to support the industry and ingenuity of Nigerian private sector, to solve this challenge,” he explained. He said the US government recognises that the challenges and opportunities facing Nigeria are Nigeria’s responsibilities to see and to solve.
“When we compare our relationship with other governments across the world, we have no better standing compared with Nigeria,” he added.
On his part, a political-economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, pointed out that Nigeria has a rapidly growing population and as such, sustaining wealth creation remains a big challenge.
He said Nigerians, especially their policy makers, must recognise that the oil age is over and “we should begin to think of how to build a country that can sustain itself outside the kind of rents that oil gives which lasted for decades.”
He added: “I have tried to make the point that we need dramatic productivity improvement in other sectors of our economy. Truly, the people who would make those improvements happen are challenged by many things.”
The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senator Chris Ngige, who was represented by a Deputy Director in the ministry, Mr. Olawale Shayo, said one of the core objectives of the present administration is the realignment of the economy.
He said the government was vigorously pursuing multi-faceted agenda towards economic recovery and sustainable development to end the current economic recession in the shortest possible time.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the President, EAPA Nigeria, Mr. Nwaogu Marcellinus, noted that Nigeria and the world at large was going through many changes.
These changes, according to him, were being complicated by natural and man-made disasters. He said these disasters leave behind lives shattered by physical injuries, losses and emotional troubles.
“We are living at a time where majority are concerned about overcoming poverty, unemployment and other manifestation of social and economic disadvantages. The solution is what the EAPA offers,” he said.
Founded in Los Angeles, USA, in 1971, EAPA is a workplace programme designed to assist work organisations in addressing productivity issues, and employees in identifying and resolving personal concerns, including health, marital, family, financial, alcohol, drug, legal, emotional, stress, or other personal issues that may affect job performance. Today, EAPA has branches in 40 countries of the world, including Nigeria, which began in 2012.