As Nigeria joins the globe to commemorate this year’s World Population Day (WPD), experts have called on the Federal Government, through the National Population Commission (NPC) and global partners, to prioritise young people’s needs and voices by ensuring that they have the rights, tools and opportunities to shape their future.
   
With a global theme, ‘Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world’, Programmes Director, DevComs Network, Akin Jimoh, noted that efforts across the federation were gaining momentum in ensuring that adolescents and young adults have the information and resources needed to make informed reproductive health choices.
 
He added that this year’s theme resonates deeply across Nigeria and the rest of the continent, where youths make up a significant portion of the population. 
 
Now more than ever, he said, enabling access to accurate sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services is critical to achieving inclusive development outcomes.
  
Thirty years after the historic International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which placed people at the centre of development, he said substantial progress has been made in expanding reproductive healthcare, reducing maternal mortality, and promoting gender equality.
  
Yet, despite these gains, Jimoh observed that millions of young people still face barriers, including stigma, misinformation and limited access to youth-friendly services.
   
Public health expert and Country Director, The Challenge Initiative (TCI) Nigeria Hub, Dr Taiwo Johnson, said empowering young people with knowledge and access to services is not just a health issue, but a rights issue. She added that when young people are supported to make informed decisions, they become agents of change in their communities.

LPAY Champion and Executive Director, Public Health Sustainable Advocacy Initiative (PHSAI), Abiodun Ajayi, stressed that the global event is a reminder that young people’s needs must not be sidelined, calling for more investment in education, health systems and policies to help Nigerian youths thrive.
 
Programmes Officer, DevComs, Suliyat Eletu, explained that ensuring equitable access to family planning services is not only a public health necessity, but also a foundation for sustainable development.