The Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP) has called for a release of the outstanding N2 billion allocated for family planning commodities in the 2024 budget.

Chairman Management Committee, AAFP Dr. Ejike Oji, made the call at the 8th Nigeria Family Planning Pre-Conference Media Round Table yesterday in Abuja.

Oji said that the association is happy that the Federal Ministry of Health has released $4 million counterpart funding for the procurement of essential family planning commodities and stressed the need for the government to release the N2 billion budgetary allocation before the end of this year.

Orji lamented that Nigeria is facing a national crisis due to a population bulge, adding that 30 percent of the Country’s population is below the age of 34 and largely unemployed, uneducated, hungry, and angry.

“That is why are seeing the Japa syndrome that is happening in the country. All our trained young doctors and ICT experts are leaving the country. Knowing that we have all this crisis,” Orji said.

He noted that Nigeria still has a high fertility rate “at 4.8 percent” and emphasised the need to bring it down to 4 percent to achieve a demographic transition which will subsequently lead to a demographic dividend.

Orji stated that if Nigeria continues with the same fertility rate that we have presently, our population is going to be driven to 450 million by 2050.

Orji said that the Nigeria Family Planning Conference (NFPC), with the theme “Sustaining Commitments for Family Planning within the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative; Advancing Progress toward Achieving FP2030 Goals”, will be held from 5 to 6 December 2024 in Abuja.

According to him, a biennial event organized by the AAFP in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and other family planning stakeholders.