World Population Day: Obi Calls for Collective Action to Harness Nigeria’s Youth Demographic Advantage
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has called for collective efforts from leaders and citizens alike to leverage Nigeria’s youthful demographic advantage for economic development.
Obi made the call in commemoration of World Population Day on Friday, July 11, 2025.
“Today, the global community marks World Population Day. Properly understanding the population size and dynamics, and having an accurate population census is one of the most critical tools for national planning and development. The United Nations recommends that nations conduct population censuses at most every ten years. In Nigeria, however, the last population census was conducted in 2006, making it about 20 years now, without any clear population review.
“For us in Nigeria, World Population Day holds a significant message for everyone. Beyond the blessings of having a huge population, our dear nation stands at an advantage with its highly youthful and energetic population. Research shows that about 70% of Nigeria’s population is youths. Nigeria also stands as the country with the largest youth population in Africa and among the top 10 countries with the largest youth population in the world. This demographic advantage offers Nigeria great potential to establish itself as an economic powerhouse, not just in Africa, but on a global scale,” he stated.
“Have we made the right investments in these young Nigerians to ensure that we have a productive population contributing to national development?” Obi asked, pointing out that over 18 million children in Nigeria are out of school.
“A UNICEF report states that one in every five of the world’s out-of-school children is in Nigeria. What efforts are we making to take these young minds off the streets and give them the necessary education for development? What investments have we made in education which, as we know, remains the biggest investment any nation can make for its population?,” he further questioned.
The politician noted that Nigeria currently has an unemployment and underemployment rate of over 35%, with youth unemployment and underemployment rate at over 45% – which is one of the highest globally, fueling all sorts of criminality and social vices.
This, he said, stems from the overall lack of productivity across various sectors, emphasising that the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) – the engine of economic growth in any nation, are gradually dying in Nigeria.
He added: “On a day like this, may we remind ourselves that each and every one of us has a role to play in righting the wrongs of yesteryears which have kept us down.
“We must now collectively commit to building a nation where our children will see hope in their future, our youths will find opportunities that match their talents and efforts and our elderly will find peace and reward for their years of labour. We must collectively enthrone the leadership that will invest in and care for our population with no one left behind.”
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