Former deputy governor of Imo State and an All Progressive Congress Stalwart, Eze Madumere has called on government at all levels to leverage Nigeria’s growing population by increasing funding for education and technological research as both hold the ace for actualising the Nigeria of our dreams.
Madumere made the statement while reacting to the United Nations’s projection that Nigeria will have an estimated 398 million people by 2050, making it the third largest country in the world in a telephone interview.
Madumere regretted that despite the enormous natural and human resources available at the nation’s disposal, Nigeria is home to over 10 million out-of-school children and the highest number of people living in extreme poverty according to the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative.
His words: If the statistics of Global Multidimentional Poverty Index (MPI) of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative is anything to go by, then it is frightening if nothing is done to correct these anomalies. I believe this demography will pose not only a threat to the country but will pose serious insecurity problem of unimaginable degree.”
He therefore made a passionate call to Government at all levels to embrace educational reforms that focus on developing new skills through robust and well funded technical and vocational education and training programmes for those millions of Nigerians outside the formal school system, or who possess only a primary education.
Madumere opined that for Nigeria to regain its place in the comity of Nations, Government at all levels must formulate and implement policies aimed at advancing technological innovation, invest in human capital potential and creating jobs for young people, increase financial access, opportunities and allocation of insufficient resources towards harnessing our bulging population as an educated, healthy and resilient youth population is the best catalyst for growth.
“I believe that functional education can take care of the threat this demographic poses for the country in the nearest future. We must seek education that is problem solving and of course with research for technological development;” he said.
Madumere further called on Government to expand its economic opportunities and embrace technology by unlocking private-sector partnerships through incentives and social impact bonds as well as boosting entrepreneurial ecosystems (with strong emphasis on apprenticeships) as these are key ways the government can help to spur growth.