More Nigerians shun marriage — Census Report

THE percentage of marriageable singles who have never been married is on the increase in Nigeria. This was contained in the priority tables of 2006 population and housing census which was presented at the south west zone workshop by the National Population Commission(NCP),held in Ibadan, Oyo State.

According to Mr. Jayant Banthia, a United Nations’Chief Technical Adviser, UNFPA/NPC, who made the presentation, the proportion of population never married has increased from 42 per cent in 1991 to 46.4 per cent in 2006.

The indication is that the mean age at marriage has increased. It would be noted that unlike in the past when people got married in their 20s or early 30s on the average, a greater percentage of youths now delay getting married or even decide against marriage.

This is not unconnected with economic reasons which form the basis for responsibility attached to marriage. Many of the singles within the marriage bracket also put emotions into consideration when taking decisions on marriage. It is noteworthy that though there is an increase in the percentage of ‘never married, the ‘age structure’ of Nigeria’s population is ‘young’.

This could be an indication that though some youths are not getting married, more children are being born out of wedlock, implying that there is a further breakdown in family system.

In his keynote address during the workshop, the chairman of NPC, Alhaji Samu’ila Danko Makama, said among the objectives of the dissemination of priority tables was to educate the general public on the range of data contained in the 2006 census data.

Alhaji Makama added that it would foster positive attitude in public perception of census as going beyond population figures and reinforce public perception on the accuracy and reliability of 2006 census.

He further said that apart from receiving feedback from potential data users and the general public, the dissemination would sensitise policy makers and stakeholders on the intricate relationships between population factors and the imperatives of sustainable development.