Did you know that 75% of Nigerians will live in the cities by 2050?

Is there something to worry about?

First of all, what do you make of these nature's free gifts in the name of herbs to mankind? I meant "Awopa", "opa eyin", "afato" "shama lemon grass", "soldier root", "dogoyaro", "Buru n tashi (Hausa)" etc. What impact will these concoctions have on Nigeria's population in the next few decades? Do they really work? Do we produce enough food to cater for the need of this growing human population?

Today, while doing a research on a presentation I am to make very soon, I decided to do a little research on population growth and the impact on the economy and lifestyle of countries of the world. My interest really, was on developing countries.

Nigeria's Agriculture Minister Chief Audu Ogbeh recently said “There are those who estimate that by 2025 our population will stand at 450 million, making Nigeria the third most populated country on the planet earth, but what is more worrisome is that 75 per cent of this huge population will be living in cities while 25 per cent only will be in the rural areas. Can the 25 per cent feed themselves and the city dwellers?" See: http://bit.ly/1QaMH6q

This was corroborated by The Sun Newspaper see: http://bit.ly/1Tc28AD

The current world population of 7.2 billion is projected to increase by 1 billion over the next 12 years and reach 9.6 billion by 2050, according to a United Nations report, which points out that growth will be mainly in developing countries, with more than half in Africa.

“Although population growth has slowed for the world as a whole, this report reminds us that some developing countries, especially in Africa, are still growing rapidly,” said the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Wu Hongbo in a press release on the report.

Compared to previous assessments of world population trends, the new projected total population is higher, mainly due to new information obtained on fertility levels of certain countries. For example, in 15 high-fertility countries of sub-Saharan Africa, the estimated average number of children per woman has been adjusted upwards by more than 5 per cent.

“In some cases, the actual level of fertility appears to have risen in recent years; in other cases, the previous estimate was too low,” said the Director of the Population Division in the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, John Wilmoth, during a press conference in New York.

“While there has been a rapid fall in the average number of children per woman in large developing countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Brazil and South Africa, rapid growth is expected to continue over the next few decades in countries with high levels of fertility such as Nigeria, Niger, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Uganda but also Afghanistan and Timor-Leste, where there are more than five children per woman.” See UN report http://bit.ly/1QaNwfI

With the above revelations, it does appear that Africa, and Nigeria in particular is sitting on a time bomb if nothing is done to avert the looming food insecurity. Rural to urban drift will continue unabated, as long as development continues to concentrate in the cities. It is only a deliberate approach through clear cut policy direction from all stakeholders, particularly the government to support the dampened spirited youth, to hold the bull by the horns and face the challenge of providing food for this generation and generations yet unborn. Of course this can not be achieved, where farming remains archaic and unattractive!

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