Lagos: Population awareness tops population day agenda

Lagos: Population awareness tops population day agenda
Qasim Akinreti, Lagos

Population challenges facing Lagos State topped the agenda at the event to mark the concluding part of the 2011 World Population Day in the State.

This was quite instructive as the Lagos state Permanent Secretary Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget; Mr. Adebayo Sodade acknowledged that the State with a population estimate of 20 million people and an annual growth rate of 3.2 per cent is faced with enormous challenges.

Clarion call

He reiterated the administration’s determination to combat the challenges, stressing that “the State Government reeled out its Ten Points Agenda (TPA) and high policy documents designed to address some of this emerging population issues”.

Calling on stakeholders to properly address this challenge, he noted that important indicators on composition of the population like Age, Gender, Birth and Death Rate, school enrolment and life expectancy are paramount to ensure effective formulation and implementation.

UNFPA perspective

Guest Speaker at the event Dr. Omolaso Omosehin, Head of Lagos Office UNFPA, who delivered a paper entitled “Lagos State Population: Statistics, Perspective” spoke on the need to consider population indices during planning.

 He gave kudos to the Lagos State Government for its resolve at ensuring better life for its citizens with a population estimate of about 20 million.
Also, Executive Director, Women Leadership, Nkech Nwaka, who spoke on “Making Gender Statistics Meaningful in Lagos State,” pointed out that there was need for more enforcement of the Law against Domestic Violence and the Child Right Law, with emphasis on hawking and street trading.

Tagged “Seven billion People-Counting on Each other”, the event was organized by the Lagos Bureau of Statistics under the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget.

This is the first time Lagos State has commemorated the event.

Williams