Governor Caleb Muftwang of Plateau State announced that the 19 northern governors of Nigeria will initiate discussions on the rising birth rate in the region. He emphasized the need for measures to support the education and welfare of the children being born.
“We are sitting on a time bomb,” Muftwang stated during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily. He warned that without adequate infrastructure for human capital development, the youth bulge in northern Nigeria could exacerbate issues like banditry and terrorism, which are already widespread in the region.
Muftwang also noted that some of the individuals who disrupted the #EndBadGovernance protests in the state were external agitators. He criticized the northern elite for neglecting the growing youth population, which has led to criminal elements indoctrinating young people into insurgency and banditry.
“We don’t have an option. At this point, we must take the bull by the horn. I am pretty sure that a lot of the northern elite do not have their children on the streets; they send their children to elite schools locally and internationally,” Muftwang said. He emphasized that the issue is not the number of children being born, but rather the need for parents to take responsibility for their upbringing. He called for a carrot-and-stick approach to ensure this.
Muftwang mentioned that setting a maximum number of children per family is a complex issue that requires broader dialogue. He assured that the Forum of Northern Governors will lead this dialogue and expand it to a national level. He stressed the importance of aligning religious leaders with global realities to ensure religion does not hinder societal progress.
The governor stated that the government will hold parents accountable for out-of-school children and promised that by the end of his tenure in 2027, no willing child in Plateau State will be uneducated. He identified agriculture and food security as key areas to combat poverty but noted that banditry remains a significant challenge. Reclaiming and productively using land is essential for ensuring food security, he added.
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