By Muhammad Bashir Shuaib, Confidence News Nigeria

Introduction

According to UN estimates. Nigeria’s total population will increase to over 400 million by 2050 and could extend to 728 million in 2100 if the trend continues. As the years move forward, this rising trajectory is anticipated to continue, making Nigeria a point of attention for studying the consequences and the dynamics of the continuous increase in population growth. This essay presents a general overview of the challenges poised to face Nigeria due to the continuous increase in population and also highlights opportunities that come with this advanced population. Specifically, the discourse centres on the ripple effects on high-quality education, skill development, infrastructure, healthcare, and the labour market. Based on the analysis, this essay concludes that while increased population size can present prospects for economic expansion and progress across different domains, stimulating creativity and augmenting Nigeria’s international reputation, it can also exert strain on resources and amenities, thereby demanding inventive resolutions to guarantee ecologically sustainable growth, elevate the quality of life for Nigerians, and expedite urbanization.

Challenges in Population Management 

According to Worldometer elaboration of the most recent United Nations data, the current population of Nigeria stood at 226,266,077. In the second quarter of 2023, Nigeria’s population is projected to be 223,804,632. Of the 8.1 Billion global population, Nigeria constitutes 2.78%. Urbanization represents 53.9% of the total population (120,696,717 in 2023) with the median age being 17.2. Meanwhile, the number of people currently living in cities globally is 3.7 billion with the figure expected to increase to 7 billion in 2050 according to estimates. This shows that the trend is not just unique to Nigeria; rather, it is a global issue due to the size of urbanization and the unparalleled pace.
With overcrowding and urbanization emerging as major challenges linked to Nigeria’s expected population increase, the country’s estimated population has completely rewritten the country’s traditional story. Urbanization is an important worry because cities would struggle to manage the flood of people, which will lead to the expansion of impoverished areas and informal settlements.

Likewise, there will be a significant demand on the social services system, infrastructure, and supply of resources. Transportation, trash management, and housing infrastructure will all be severely strained. According to NPC in 2017, Nigeria’s Urban centres face numerous challenges, including poor and unreliable power and water supply, inadequate security, lack of healthcare professionals and health-related issues, poor sanitation and high construction costs, with a population of approximately 188 million and a Human Development Index (HDI) of 152 out of 188 ranked countries. These are the main causes of rural-urban migration and the factors contribute largest to the ongoing increase in rural-urban migration in Nigeria. Additionally, providing adequate healthcare to all Nigerian citizens will be more challenging, Accessibility to quality healthcare facilities, healthcare professionals, medicines, and equipment will be a significant concern. Nigeria seriously needs to find a way of improving its healthcare management to find solutions to these challenges and ensure the perfect living of its citizens. There has been a shortage of practitioners in the health sector due to the migration of over 5000 Nigeria-trained medical personnel which has resulted in an abrupt rise in birth rates, a lack of knowledge about diseases and inadequate quality control. A measure has to be put in place by the government to enhance healthcare management. That way, a high standard of living is guaranteed for its people. Additionally, other factors like unemployment, lack of quality education and high rate of unemployed graduates are prominent due to Nigeria’s population expansion. Social unrest and uneven wealth distribution may arise from the labour market due to the inability to keep up with the significant increase in the labour force. Solutions to these may include equipping the workforce with the necessary skills to foster a creative mindset. Nonetheless, the Nigerian educational system appears to be falling behind in tying the learning of skills to the issuance of certificates.

A further significant issue in Nigeria is food security, which is known to be brought on by the country’s climate, land degradation, declining soil fertility, and a lack of knowledge about good agricultural practices. These issues all pose significant obstacles to the production of sustainable food. It is imperative to recognise that food consumption should increase in tandem with population growth. The narrative, as we are witnessing however, is different; according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 25.3 million Nigerians experience severe food insecurity, compared to over 19 million in 2022. These figures were released during the lean June to August 2023 season. Innovative approaches, such as financing for agricultural R&D and sustainable farming practices, will be needed to ensure food security.

Opportunities in Advancement 

Although Nigeria’s population growth in 2063 is predicted to face certain challenges, it also offers potential benefits. Among these benefits is the advancement of technology, as the country’s growing population is expected to bring about some technological advancements and innovative opportunities. Technological innovations have the potential to address problems in several areas, such as lowering the unemployment rate by giving young people who are passionate about technology the chance to work for respectable companies that are hiring people with their skill set or even gain financial independence through freelancing on websites like Upwork or Fiverr. Technological innovations can also benefit the agricultural sector by advancing fields like nanotechnology, remote sensing devices, drone-aided farm spraying and a host of other tech-related benefits. More benefits may also arise from it in the fields of communications and health, as the world is seeing an increase in development in telemedicine, robot-assisted surgery, AI in the newsroom  
In any discourse of national interest today, the youths are regarded as a powerful voice as we have approximately 151 million young persons, representing a significant 70 per cent of the total population. This can be potentially advantageous for Nigeria’s growth. For instance, youths in Nigeria are growing more and more interested in technology. Therefore, the current capacity building can increase the effectiveness of creative ideas in the country, which can definitely improve the country’s economy and quality of life. The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) organized cyber security awareness training for over 1000 young individuals in 2022. Being one of the trainees, the category of other trainees made me subconsciously desire to pursue a career in and break into technology skills. Additionally, I received awareness in the training which further encouraged me to research more on various tech skills, this research ultimately impacted my decision to pursue a career in data analysis and visualization positively. Also, the NITDA kickstarted the first phase of the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program, which aims to train approximately 3 million Nigerians in fields like data science, data analysis and visualization, product management, UI/UX design, cyber security and web development. This programme is sufficient to give the trained persons the abilities they need to work for themselves. In addition, the talents they acquire can help the nation access capacity-building opportunities through creative problem-solving and research. 

Still youths, Nigeria’s youthful population is a demographic asset. A large young cohort with more innovative ideas will be created with the support of investments in youth skill development and access to high-quality education. This will also result in a more competent workforce that can be a great asset to the development of the country. Youth dividend is a realistic economic growth strategy in Nigeria. With creative training programmes like the Enterprise for Youth in Agriculture (EYIA), which is housed in the soilless Lab Abeokuta and trains and empowers youth in agriculture and other fields, as well as other initiatives that foster youth idea and innovation development, Nigeria is practically at the realm of reaping the economic benefits of the youth population in the future. 

Furthermore, Market potential and economic growth would be great opportunities for Nigeria in years to come. Increased population size can boost economic growth and create a thriving consumer market. Nigeria may leverage its increased market potential to draw in both domestic and foreign direct investments with strategic planning and financial commitments. This will lead to the creation of employment opportunities and boost general economic growth. The economy of Nigeria is also experiencing growth currently and the ability to tax the income and obtain the financial support required to provide the amenities and important services its people require such as good medical healthcare, quality education, and accessibility to good infrastructure, is also growing. Additionally, renewable energy infrastructure will not only minimize the risk and damages related to climate change but also provide environmentally friendly energy sources by reducing the effects of greenhouse gasses and thus providing a friendly and sustainable environment. Renewable energy and sustainable development can act as a means for the adoption of some natural energy sources like wind electricity sources, biomass energy supply, and solar power that will have long-term impacts and sustain the environment and the population. Similarly, countries like Nigeria that are still developing can reduce their reliance on natural gas and petroleum by exploring alternative sources of energy, this will lead to the country’s energy profile being resistant to price increases. Also, equitable economic growth, poverty reduction, Job creation and renewable energy sources provide a means of escaping reliance on diversifying national economies, and imports and shielding them from the volatile price fluctuations of fossil fuels.

Conclusion 

The predicted Nigeria population expansion in 2063 poised the country to expect several issues like urbanization and overpopulation, unbalanced and poor health care, abrupt increment in the unemployment rate, and food security. These challenges can, however, be turned into opportunities for progress with proper preparation. With the recent development in some areas of advancement like IT, economic policy, innovation and youth engagements, Nigeria can have a promising future in technological advancements, economic growth, investments in education and skill development, and sustainable development practices. Also, to properly engage the expected population and ensure that the developments above are achievable, Nigeria will need the collective action, cooperation and commitment of the public and private sectors, civil society, Non-Governmental Organizations and foreign investors.

Muhammad Bashir Shuaib is a journalist and works as a reporter for Confidence News Nigeria