A former governor of Cross Rivers state Mr. Donald Duke says population increase in the country was responsible for most of the crisis being witnessed in the country as government infrastructure and spending are not commensurate with the growth in population.

Duke was speaking today in Lagos at the public lecture organized by the Nigeria Movement for Positive Change (NPMC).

According to the former governor, past administrations spent far more than what the recent administrations are spending without putting into consideration population expansion.

“Unfortunately we are still behaving like nothing has changed. Between 1979 and 1983, our population was about 90m but President Shehu Shagari spent an average of $25bn every year. So in four years, he spent $100bn.

“The budget being proposed to the National Assembly today is N8.6trillion. But in dollar term, it is $23bn. If you divide 8.6trillion by N360, you will get $23bn.”

“If after almost 40 years, what you are spending today is less than what you spent then and your population has more than doubled, then you can understand all the crisis that we are facing today.

“The issue of herdsmen’s crisis for instance is a population pressure without the commensurate growth in productivity of the individuals,” he said.

He again made a case for a systemic restructuring which according to him should be based on fair and equitable distribution of the country’s resources.