THE Federal Commissioner of the National Population Commission (NPC) representing Delta State, Mrs. Blessyn Brume-Ataguba, has emphasized the importance of empowering young people to make informed choices about their future and families.
She made the call during a news conference in Asaba, to commemorate the 2025 World Population Day, themed “Empowering Young People to Create the Families They Want in a Fair and Hopeful World.”
Brume-Ataguba described the theme as timely and relevant, noting that more than 60 per cent of Nigeria’s population was under the age of 30.
“Nigeria’s youthful population stands at a transformative demographic juncture, presenting both immense opportunities and significant challenges,” she said.
She stressed that the NPC recognised the youth’s potential to drive national development, but warned that structural barriers must be removed to allow young people to make voluntary, informed decisions about their lives and livelihoods.
The 2025 World Population Day, she noted, served as a call to action for government, civil society, and development partners to provide young people with knowledge, support, and protection of their rights.
Brume-Ataguba highlighted the commission’s ongoing work to provide reliable, evidence-based demographic data to support inclusive and youth-focused governance.
“Our current strategy is anchored on revolutionising civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS), conducting a digital population and housing census, and developing a national geospatial data repository,” she said.
She explained that a functional CRVS system was essential to inclusive development, noting that a birth certificate was not just a document but also the first recognition of a citizen by the state, giving access to rights and services.
The commissioner added that the upcoming digital population and housing census would collect detailed disaggregated data, including age, gender, education, location, and access to basic services, enabling better planning and service delivery.
She also announced the creation of a National Geospatial Data Repository, integrating census and CRVS data with geographic mapping tools to identify underserved communities and monitor development progress.
Brume-Ataguba said the commission was working with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and other partners to organise activities such as youth consultations, stakeholder dialogues, media engagements, and community sensitisation to raise awareness about population dynamics.
In her remarks, Mrs Jane Odigwe, State Director of the Commission, stressed the importance of accurate statistics, family planning, and birth registration.
Odigwe called on stakeholders to increase awareness around empowering youth to create the families they wanted in a fair and hopeful world.
