The rising rate of poverty in Nigeria

Although these conclusions are diametrically opposed to government’s claims of outstanding economic success, they are not different from what all other realistic studies have found. Expectedly the Federal Government has hit back at the AfDB, faulting the report and describing it as completely untruthful and politically motivated. However, the figures do not differ markedly from […]

Although these conclusions are diametrically opposed to government’s claims of outstanding economic success, they are not different from what all other realistic studies have found. Expectedly the Federal Government has hit back at the AfDB, faulting the report and describing it as completely untruthful and politically motivated. However, the figures do not differ markedly from those supplied by the Central Bank of Nigeria which drew the same conclusions. The National Bureau of Statistics presented even worse figures covering the period.
No matter how offensive these conclusions are to government, the general public sees no problem in agreeing with all the negative assertions concerning the nation’s level of development. There can be no denying that our economy is in a mess. It can be conceded that the methodology employed for these studies may have its defects. It must also be conceded that, as is the case with most social statistics, the figures are inexact and outdated. However, the government must also accept that, as is also generally the case with social statistics, they indicate a trend. This trend is a downward revue of the fortunes of our nation. Very worrisome is the conclusion that 41 per cent of Nigerian children are stunted, 9 per cent wasted or thin and 23 per cent underweight. A long time ago many advanced countries commenced a school meals programme in order to ensure that all children have access to regular nutritious and balanced meals.
A government that finds nothing wrong in budgeting billions for its top officials’ feeding and construction of banquet halls should develop a conscience and put an immediate end to this anomaly. The general language of the report confirms the allegation that Nigeria is a rich country full of poor people. The report outlines a level of inequality both between rich and poor and between urban and rural population. Any government serious about stopping urban migration must immediately address this issue of difference between rural and urban life. The reported level of urban inequality confirms government’s obsession with economic growth as opposed to economic welfare. The reality is that even as the nation is becoming richer, its people are becoming poorer. Our nation, with its growing class of indolent millionaires created by government patronage, is becoming a less caring and compassionate society.
Despite all protestations of government officials, Nigerians know that the conclusions of these reports are not far from the truth. It is noticeable that begging, once associated only with almajirai or handicapped persons, is now becoming widespread even amongst able-bodied educated people. The number of unemployed university graduates is unacceptable for a supposedly developing nation. The wider spread of poverty among non-graduates has reached endemic proportions and is a potential powder keg waiting to explode if care is not taken and appropriate policies implemented expeditiously. The Federal Government’s rejection of the figures is not unexpected. Their claim that the situation has changed in the three years since 2010 is hard to swallow especially as the report also said that the Federal Government’s efforts to reduce poverty rate by 2015 seem very weak. We are at a loss to see how this miraculous recovery that halted a 15-year downslide could have taken place within three years. The Federal Government must immediately implement policies to halt our downslide by adopting a more practical and realistic approach if we are to truly commence economic recovery.