Foremost Nigerian lawyer and Pro-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN at the weekend warned that Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder if the country’s population is not brought under check immediately.>>>CONTINUE FULL READING HERE....CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE
“From whatever angle one looks at it, Nigeria, as of now, has an over-bloated population, that if not timeously checked and controlled would plunge the country into an unmitigated hysteria. Truth be told, our increasing population is a time bomb that would explode at any time, even without anybody detonating it”.
Olanipekun said this in a “Commencement Lecture” he delivered at the Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogunsakin State, where he was also honored with Doctor of Laws and Administration of the University. The event took place on Sunday, July 28.
The former Chairman, Body of Benchers, drawing from the Biblical Injunction God gave to Adam and Eve, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth…”, said that Nigerians misconceived the mandate of God by obeying their first part (be fruitful and multiply”, without “replenishing” their earth.
He said: “To my mind, we can only replenish the world by positively using and employing our profession, calling, ministry, brain, intellect, position, attainment, power, authority, influence, possession, ability, learning, bearing, etc., in order to activate God’s decree to humanity as encapsulated in Genesis 1:28;
L-R: Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji; foremost lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN); Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun; Ogoga of Ikere-Ekiti, Oba Samuel Adu Adejimi; the president and Vice-Chancellor of Babcock University, Prof. Ademola Tayo, during the 22nd undergraduate and 13th postgraduate convocation ceremonies for the award of degrees, prices, and conferment of Honorary Doctorate Degrees held at the institution, on Sunday.>>>CONTINUE FULL READING HERE
For centuries, man has misconceived the biblical mandate charging him to “go and replenish the earth” as a command to recklessly populate the earth, without caution. To live up to the true meaning and intent of this God’s given mandate, our focus must be on contributions to humanity rather than uncontrolled population, which invariably chokes the available limited resources in diverse ways;
My research has not yet assisted me to locate any particular man in the world whose success has been measured or determined by the plurality of the children he has flooded his immediate environment with rather than the magnitude of his success and positive impacts on his environment.
Olanipekun cited the example of the first couple, Adam and Eve who had only three children, Cain, Abel, and Seth. “It is not recorded in the Bible that both Adam and Eve were unproductive to the extent that they could not have more than three children”, he said.
The senior lawyer said that he found it curious that Nigeria is one of the rare countries of the world where the distribution of revenue from the Revenue Allocation Account is based, amongst others, on the principles of landmass, and population density. To him, it is therefore not surprising that a legislator would stand up on the floor of the House and boast how he has 28 children and still has the ability to produce more. The legislator has said: “I am here and I thank God that I kept my word with the House that while I have 27, I will continue counting. By the grace of God and your prayers, the count would continue… I would appeal to my members so that we suspend relevant rules and we have a clause in the Electoral Act where it permits families that do have up to 30 kids in their homes to have an electoral polling unit in that family”
Arguing that Nigeria’s population is over bloated, he said: ‘Nigeria is the 6th most populated country in the world, queuing after India with 1,441,7 Billion population, China with 1,425,18 Billion population, United States of America with 341,81Million population, Indonesia with 289.8Million, Pakistan with 245,21Million population, Nigeria with 229.15Million population, and followed by Brazil with 217.64Million, Bangladesh with 174.7Million population, Russia with 143.96Million, Ethiopia with 129.72Million, Mexico with 129.39Million, Japan with 122.63Million population, Egypt with 114.48Million population, and Democratic Republic of the Congo with 105.63Million population, Turkey with 86.26Million, Germany with 83.25Million, and Thailand with 71.89Million population;
Our present estimated population of 227 million, is not proximate to or aligned with our GDP of US$1,636 per capita; unemployment rate of 5%; inflation rate of 33.95%; while food insecurity/scarcity stares us stoically in the face. It is projected that Nigeria will hit a population of 400 million by 2050”.
Gov Biodun Oyebanji congratulating Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN
He then added: “The point must be made, and poignantly so, that there is no proximity between uncontrolled population and economic advancement or growth. Monaco, the second smallest country in the world, has a population of 36,157, yet Monaco ranks the richest economy in Europe, with a US$240,862 GDP per capita. Luxembourg has a population of 683,830 and it is reputed to have ranked second amongst the richest countries in the world, with a US$143,743 GDP per capita. Singapore, with a population of 6 million, is adjudged a prosperous nation. It remains an economically vibrant and successful country with a strong financial sector and high standard of living. According to the World Bank National Accounts Data, Singapore’s GDP per capita is US$84,734.3. England, with a population of 57.11Million, has a GDP per capita of £37,852/US$49,982. Militarily, it is one of the most advanced countries in the world. Economically, it is richer than Nigeria in multi-folds; yet its population is not up to that of the Yoruba nation in South-West Nigeria. Lest we forget, they were our Colonial Masters;
Contrariwise, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite its rich natural resources, remains one of the poorest countries globally, with a high population rate compounding its economic and social challenges”.
He then mentioned China and India as countries with very high populations but which have used their population to highest productive levels. “China stands as a notable exception amongst countries of the world with high populations and abject poverty. While China is one of the most populous countries in the world, it has managed to lift millions out of the ruthless conundrum of poverty through sustained economic growth, industrialization, and effective governance. China is a success story today, and the secret of this narrative, I dare say, is not unconnected with the country’s periodic review of its population policies, starting with the One-Child Policy, which was implemented in 1979, restricting couples to having only one child. The Policy was designed to help control China’s population growth, which was skyrocketing at the time and seen as a threat to the country’s economic and social development”.
“India has a population of 1.44Billion, and a GDP of US$3.94 Billion. There is no gainsaying the fact that Indian scientists, teachers, medical doctors etc., rank among the best in the world today. Technologically, India moves on the superhighway. Nevertheless, the impact of its rapid scientific, technological and economic development is not felt because of its high population. We must quickly remind ourselves that India has always controlled its population. Long before now, the number of children per family was pegged at two; but now, it is being restricted to one child per family.
He also cited the Netherlands as an example of a small country that has achieved remarkable economic growth through her agricultural exploits.
He said: “The Netherlands, a small country with a landmass of 41,000km square, is the second-largest exporter of agricultural produce, such as cheese, wheat, potatoes, milk, eggs, vegetables, and meats, across the world. The Netherlands produced over 4 million cows, 13 million pigs and 104 million chickens, annually. Its advanced technological approach, such as greenhouse farming, contributes immensely to its success. The Netherlands leverages Wageningen University for research and to proffer practical solutions to farmers’ problems. As of 2024, the Netherlands’ nominal GDP per capita is projected to be around $63,750 at current prices. Based on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), the Netherlands’ GDP per capita is forecast to be $74,158 billion international dollars”.
Coming nearer home to Africa, Olanipekun lamented that the African Continent, “despite its abundant land, estimated at 60% of the world’s most fertile land, still exports far less agricultural produce than the Netherlands. To say the least, Ukraine, even amidst conflict, still outperforms African countries in grain exportation”.
He extolled Northern Nigerian leaders for getting worried about the uncontrolled population growth of that part of the country. “It appears some Nigerian leaders, particularly, from the Northern part of Nigeria are now getting worried, and rightly in my view, about the uncontrolled population growth in the Northern part of Nigeria. No less a personality than former President Muhammadu Buhari was quoted as saying that he was worried by the ‘phenomenon’. Shortly before then, the Northern Governors, under the aegis of Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) in a communique issued after their last meeting in Kaduna, stated, amongst others, that “Climate Change, unsustainable agricultural practices and population growth posed significant challenges to the region”;
One would have been disturbed and disappointed if notable and respected Northern leaders were not conscious of the threat that uncontrolled population in the North poses to the region, for several reasons. Nigeria is mostly densely populated in the North-Western Region, and more than every other Region, the figurative albatross of poverty hovers over the Region. The Human Development Index illustrates that Northern Nigeria has the lowest literacy rates in the country. Limited access to quality education, especially for girls, perpetuates a cycle of poverty and limits economic opportunities, thus, life expectancy, education, and per capita income in northern Nigeria score poorly with significant portions of the population living below the poverty line.
Olanipekun therefore warned that there is a nemesis for reckless procreation. “It has never been the norm or tradition in human history or evolution for any man or family to unleash on his immediate environment, purportedly or assumably arming himself with a misconstrued interpretation of God’s mandate of – “Go and Replenish the Earth”, an Infantry, Brigade or Battalion of children that he could or cannot care for, wrongly and pretentiously transferring the responsibility of the upbringing, education, welfare, and even custody of the children to any government. No government in the world, not even in the developed countries and economies can shoulder such responsibilities. No wonder, the Yoruba people have an adage which captures this situation vividly: “omo bęęrę, òsì bęęrę”, literally translates as “abject poverty is the unmitigated nemesis of reckless procreation”. Therefore, we cannot have an uncontrolled population, and expect to live in abundance”.
Olanipekun said that the lecture is meant to draw attention to the religious misconception of procreation. “As a result of man’s misconception of God’s mandate as encapsulated in the title of the musings, particularly the burgeoning, alarming, and uncontrolled procreation syndrome in Nigeria, we have deliberately drawn our attention to the dangers inherent in unguided procreation. The dangers are both intrinsic and extrinsic. Reckless procreation will inevitably lead to societal rascality, and before we know it, we will have ourselves and our world engulfed in ‘procreation terrorism’.
He charged the graduating students to always bear in mind the thrust of this presentation, so that they will go into the world to replenish it — not to deplete, impair, impoverish, desecrate, disintegrate, dilapidate, deteriorate, or suffocate it. “Be a builder and not a destroyer. Impact positively on society and humanity. Among you today are future leaders of Nigeria in all categories or descriptions, and when you get up there, change the world and your Nation for the better through your deeds and actions, rather than mere rhetoric and sloganeering”.>>>CONTINUE FULL READING HERE
