i'm tired of these western journalist . do Nigerians really live in less  than  one dollar a day.
answer please .

Try these links for a little truth 

http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/reader/reader894.html

The average wage in Nigeria is around a dollar a day. You would think therefore that living would be cheap. After all what can a dollar buy you in the west – a stick of gum, a newspaper? If a dollar a day is the average wage in Nigeria then of course it must buy all sorts of goodies, right? Wrong! A dollar will not even get you entry to a decent restaurant! Life is cheap, living is not. Nigeria is EXPENSIVE! Why is this so? Like most things in Nigeria there are probably several explanations. One reason no doubt is the fact that a dollar a day is probably not the average income. Tax is not collected and surveys probably do not record income derived from muggings, graft and corruption.

In 2005 Nigeria had a labor force of 57.2 million. In 2003 the unemployment rate was 10.8 percent overall; urban unemployment of 12.3 percent exceeded rural unemployment of 7.4 percent. According to the latest available information from 1999, labor force employment by sector was as follows: 70 percent in agriculture, 20 percent in services, and 10 percent in industry. Labor unions, which have undergone periods of militancy and quiescence, reemerged as a force in 1998 when they regained independence from the government. Since 1999 the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC), a union umbrella organization, has called six general strikes to protest domestic fuel price increases. However, in March 2005 the government introduced legislation ending the NLC’s monopoly over union organizing. In December 2005, the NLC was lobbying for an increase in the minimum wage for federal workers. The existing minimum wage, which was introduced six years earlier but has not been adjusted since, has been whittled away by inflation to only US$42.80 per month.

@Poster, I believe @Thor gave you some clues on what the reality of those who work low pay jobs deal with in Nigeria. Now imagine the many UNEMPLOYED people living in the same country and ponder the reality of living jobless in Nigeria.

uhmn. . . . . .

Thor:

Try these links for a little truth

http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/reader/reader894.html

you're so obsessed with Nigeria.

Are you south African, or do you have a Nigerian lover?

elodie:

i'm tired of these western journalist . do Nigerians really live in less  than  one dollar a day.
answer please .

Yeah, a lot of Nigerians live on less than $0.50 cents a day. That's the sordid truth. You are only asking such a question because you are comfortable and probably eat three square meals daily.

There are people who won't mind eating the crumbs from under your table, so stop the waste and be your brothers keeper. Also give to charity.

franel79:

Yeah, a lot of Nigerians live on less than $0.50 cents a day. That's the sordid truth. You are only asking such a question because you are comfortable and probably eat three square meals daily.

There are people who won't mind eating the crumbs from under your table, so stop the waste and be your brothers keeper. Also give to charity.

How is the bold part possible, please elaborate.

You wonder if some people went to school.

The minimum wage for Federal and state workers is N18,000. Much less in the private sector. I know this because the labourers in my mums shop collect approximately N12,000/ month for a 60hour, 6 day working week with possible deductions for ''breakages'' ( I do not support this form of slavery but she tells me thats the Nigerian way cos if they could get better they would have left her employment)

N18,000 = $110. If you subtract a quarter for transport, $80 is approximately $2.6/ day. if this is income of a household of 4, do the maths. And like some said. if the employed are living on this, what of the unemployed?

norrisman:

You wonder if some people went to school.

The minimum wage for Federal and state workers is N18,000. Much less in the private sector. I know this because the labourers in my mums shop collect approximately N12,000/ month for a 60hour, 6 day working week with possible deductions for ''breakages'' ( I do not support this form of slavery but she tells me thats the Nigerian way cos if they could get better they would have left her employment)

N18,000 = $110. If you subtract a quarter for transport, $80 is approximately $2.6/ day. if this is income of a household of 4, do the maths. And like some said. if the employed are living on this, what of the unemployed?

There are so many things wrong with your "calculation" that I don't even know where to begin. But let me try:

1. What makes you think that every family of four has only one breadwinner?

2. What makes you assume that income earned from work is the only income a family has? Many Nigerians borrow money to survive, and are hence indebted. Many, many people borrow money from their relatives, sell land and belongings etc. to pay school fees, housing and such. Therefore, numerous low-income families are sustained by their better-off family members. Why do you think diasporans send approx. $6 Billion home annually

3. Are you aware that many people work more than one job, because their jobs pay so little?

4. What about bribes? Are these not included in your "calculation"?

5. Where do you get the notion from to subtract a quarter for transport?

A better argument would be to say that the minimum wage of 18000 Naira is not enough for a single person to survive on - that, at least, would make sense. I would agree with that.

@ Arosa

I wouldnt have replied but i just had to becuase of ur dullness

1. I said if. Do you not understand english. 1person on N18k/month is $2.6. Is that any better than $1?

2. So someone earning 18k will borrow another 18k every month. What happens in that month where they have to pay back the 18k they borrowed

3. How now? When you are already doing slave hours for one employer. No such thing as part time job in Naija o

4. No comment. Too dumb.

5. Money yopu live on is disposable income available to spend on food, clothing and shelter

norrisman:

@ Arosa

I wouldnt have replied but i just had to becuase of ur dullness

1. I said if. Do you not understand english. 1person on N18k/month is $2.6. Is that any better than $1?

You left out the fact that many of those on Naira 18,000 per month have about 2-3 other mouths they feed. This is the case with many married couples in Nigeria. Many of them with at least 2.5(this is being seriously conservative)kids.
If we were to assume that the two parents worked and earned Naira 18,000, it still comes down to about $1- $2 dollar a day for each mouth in the family, which is still within the margin of SERIOUSLY POOR.

norrisman:

@ Arosa

I wouldnt have replied but i just had to becuase of ur dullness

1. I said if. Do you not understand english. 1person on N18k/month is $2.6. Is that any better than $1?

2. So someone earning 18k will borrow another 18k every month. What happens in that month where they have to pay back the 18k they borrowed

3. How now? When you are already doing slave hours for one employer. No such thing as part time job in Naija o

4. No comment. Too dumb.

5. Money yopu live on is disposable income available to spend on food, clothing and shelter

Norrisman, you are one of the most daft people I have ever come across on the Internet. And this is really no joke, I am serious.

It is laughable that you should question my ability to understand English in light of the fact that you cannot even spell-check your pathetic posts.

Let me address your (non-)points:

How in the REAL world can a person, no matter how poor, live on 50 cents a day? And I am talking about the REAL world here, not some hypothetical world. This is what I wanted franel79 to elaborate on, before you jumped in with your laughable, irrelevant "arithmetic".

50 cents are approximately 80 Naira. How do you survive on 80 Naira a day? Please explain. How would a person survive on this ridiculous amount? Since you appear to be an expert at such calculations, please break down this amount in terms of how much would be used for shelter, food, and clothing.

And why is it "too dumb" to factor bribes into the equation? In a country where people don't get any salary for months, and therefore rely on bribes to survive? The mere fact that you dismiss this as being "too dumb" to address shows that you have no idea of the REAL world.

Lastly, regarding the issue of many people working more than one job. There are many people who do this, even if you don't know. For example, I know a nurse who works shifts at the hospital and when her shift finishes opens her little shop where she sells goods. Furthermore, there are many families who send their children to hawk wares in the streets. Do you actually live in the REAL world? This is reality.

Next time, before you reply to any of my posts, please use your brain, provided that you actually have one, otherwise, don't bother responding. And if you do decide to respond, please do so with a detailed break-down of how the average sum of 80 Naira per day would be spent to meet the day-to-day needs of an individual (i.e. food, clothing and shelter, in your own words).

Their claim that most Nigerians live by less than one dollar a day, is nothing less than a statistical fallacy. Yes poverty is a serious problem, but the picture that this stat paints is that of starving people. I don't know any people that were starving when I was Nigeria. No doubt there might be people living in extreme conditions in Nigeria, but that is not a mainstream situation. Believe it or not Nigerian made life basics are cheap where they should be. It is usually imported goods or goods that are dependent on imported materials that add to price. If more than 50 percent of Nigerians live on subsistence farming, how can you then say they are literally starving. I know how this argument looks; like I am trying to save face, but I'm not. Should things get better, yes they damn straight should, but I smell malevolence in their simplistic approach to this subject. Food cost 130 or what not a plate if you go to restraurants in bigger cities. In the rural area, most cook their own food and it definitely doesn't cost them that much. Health care, power, and most other public amenities are in comatose, yes even Nigerians would be the first to tell you that. Things might get as bad as they say if we suffer severe drought like in east Africa now. But then this is because African leaders have failed to protect their buying power and allowed their currencies to become useless.
In summary, this claim by most people is a statistical fallacy. This is not to say Nigerians are not suffering, but I don't think we are starving which is exactly the picture this is painting. Quality of life is better measured by food availability, shelter and purchasing power. Nigeria lags in all of the following but it is not as bad as the implied meaning of less than one dollar a day. In most of the countries where this news are spread, you can't cook a meal with less than 30 dollars. We are going through a rough patch but these foreign media should shut their sinister holes.

@topic, the answer is NO.
it is all relative, it depends on what kind of work or position you're in, if you are a doctor, politician, business man etc you make much more.
In Nigeria, we have poor and rich just like any country in the world, some live on less while others live on an amount one can only dream of.
and like someone mentioned here earlier, most times the family member that is doing well in life helps out the struggling ones.

To Arosa and the other mumus on this thread: YES MOST NIGERIANS DO LIVE ON LESS THAN A DOLLAR A DAY! In fact, permit me to say that a vast majority of Nigerians live on less that $1/ per 3 days. Do you think every Nigerian lives in the Cities? The vast majority, the unbelievably poor, live in squalor out in the rural areas, those are thanes you never see because the government hates to show them to the world; those are the ones that will turn you into barbecued lunch when the time comes, just you watch. They will feast on your loved ones before your unbelieving eyes before settling to cook you as the next meal when they're done munching on the limbs of your relatives. I was like you until a few years ago when I was shown some videos by an humanitarian group working to eradicate poverty in Nigeria.

Let me give you a good example. How many people do you think have access to the internet/twitter/Facebook in Nigeria? 50million, abi? Go and check the answer, research, and tell me you won't be disappointed when you find out what the answer is .

Do you know that most people go without meals for upwards of 2-3 days in Nigeria? Keep dreaming and thinking its all gravy. Don't worry, soon enough, that knock will appear on your door  to announce that you've been nominated as the next isi-ewu by the Association of the extremely hungry. Maybe then you'll be jolted into reality.

norrisman:

You wonder if some people went to school.

The minimum wage for Federal and state workers is N18,000. Much less in the private sector. I know this because the labourers in my mums shop collect approximately N12,000/ month for a 60hour, 6 day working week with possible deductions for ''breakages'' ( I do not support this form of slavery but she tells me thats the Nigerian way cos if they could get better they would have left her employment)

N18,000 = $110. If you subtract a quarter for transport, $80 is approximately $2.6/ day. if this is income of a household of 4, do the maths. And like some said. if the employed are living on this, what of the unemployed?

If you factor in the effect of staggering inflation which as at last November stood at 10.5%, the numbers look a lot uglier!

kingoflag said

To Arosa and the other mumus on this thread: YES MOST NIGERIANS DO LIVE ON LESS THAN A DOLLAR A DAY! In fact, permit me to say that a vast majority of Nigerians live on less that $1/ per 3 days. Do you think every Nigerian lives in the Cities? The vast majority, the unbelievably poor, live in squalor out in the rural areas, those are thanes you never see because the government hates to show them to the world; those are the ones that will turn you into barbecued lunch when the time comes, just you watch. They will feast on your loved ones before your unbelieving eyes before settling to cook you as the next meal when they're done munching on the limbs of your relatives. I was like you until a few years ago when I was shown some videos by an humanitarian group working to eradicate poverty in Nigeria.

Let me give you a good example. How many people do you think have access to the internet/twitter/Facebook in Nigeria? 50million, abi? Go and check the answer, research, and tell me you won't be disappointed when you find out what the answer is .

Do you know that most people go without meals for upwards of 2-3 days in Nigeria? Keep dreaming and thinking its all gravy. Don't worry, soon enough, that knock will appear on your door  to announce that you've been nominated as the next isi-ewu by the Association of the extremely hungry. Maybe then you'll be jolted into reality.

You're a bloody liar and deceitful, spiteful person. Where do you live? Tell me so you can come and show me the ''most Nigerians'' that go for 2 - 3 days without food. BLOODY LIAR.

And get this: A plate of Eba and Egusi costs almost $30 in a US restaurant. That same plate of food costs less than $0.2  in the average Nigerian village where most people grow their own food, and only slightly more in cities. How exactly do you dollarise that? So it is a load of deceitful garbage to keep mouthing this 'less than a dollar a day' nonsense. It is a smear designed to humiliate Africans, by western animals who have nothing but spite for Africans.

Rossikk:

kingoflag said

You're a bloody liar and deceitful, spiteful person. Where do you live? Tell me so you can come and show me the ''most Nigerians'' that go for 2 - 3 days without food. BLOODY LIAR.

And get this: A plate of Eba and Egusi costs almost $30 in a US restaurant. That same plate of food costs less than $0.2  in the average Nigerian village where most people grow their own food, and only slightly more in cities. How exactly do you dollarise that? So it is a load of deceitful garbage to keep mouthing this 'less than a dollar a day' nonsense. It is a smear designed to humiliate Africans, by western animals who have nothing but spite for Africans.

---> About a year and half ago, the minimum wage was 7,500, many of those earning this amounts had several mouths to feed.

---> Several low skilled jobs in the private sectors pay in the upper bound of 8,000 naira! 2 dollars a day is 109,500 naira a year!

----> There are millions of unemployed graduates depending on families/relatives/friends for survival. More than half of this population cannot afford to live consistently on 2 dollars a day.

It is a smear designed to humiliate Africans, by western animals who have nothing but spite for Africans.

Ah seriously!. . and this must be western invention too, No?

@op, dont mind this whitewashed negroes on this thread, i was watching a tv program once on NTA and a vulcanizer was interviewed, the reporter asked him how much he makes on bad days and to my surprise he said " ehh some days when work no good na just 4,000 naira i dey make", i couldnt believe my ears

these people are the low class people that are supposed to be living on
less than $2 a day, even if they have 4 mouths to feed have u forgotten that their wives also work and might most likely be market women

the poverty this people face is more of mental poverty not material poverty because they end up spending carelessly after a days work.

and for those that are saying go to the villages and go to the rural areas and see people really suffering, let me ask u a question, since i have to go so far to remote areas to see people living on less than $2 a day, doesnt it show that those people are in minority since i cant readily see them? the major population centres in nigeria like lagos, kano, portharcourt dont have an abundance of these people and u are telling me that these people are the majority


all of you that believe this theory, pls tell me where u got this statistic from, is it not the western sponsored UN that gives u the statistic, people that dont live in nigeria, people that have maligned u over the years, people that wont want to have any relationship with u even when they are in your country, people that constantly call u 'black monkey' and also tell u to go ack to africa
is it not pure folly that will make u think that someone who in every ramification dislikes u and doesnt want to relate with u would then put up a research that wouldnt malign you

@ violent

Nigerians like to stick their heads in the sand and you the situation in the country bears testament to this attitude. Stick your head in the sand and keep saying e go better. I gave a good example with simple calculation of workers in my mums shop earning N12,000/month which translated to approximately $2.6/day and people are still asking dumb questions like why did I subtract transportation. Money you live on is money available for you to spend on Food, clothing and shelter

E-Engineer:

i was watching a tv program once on NTA and a vulcanizer was interviewed, the reporter asked him how much he makes on bad days and to my surprise he said " e[b]hh some days when work no good na just 4,000 naira i dey make[/b]", i couldnt believe my ears

So when he said he makes N4000 a day did he clarify if it was pure profit or total sales?

all of you that believe this theory, pls tell me where u got this statistic from,

What about calculation above of a federal worker on N18000 which equates to $2.6/ day. It may sound like I am making up stories but I have a friend who has a petrol station who pays his attendants N4,000/mnth yes N4,000/mnth and expects them to sort themselves out by doing deals at the pump.

@ Arosa

Violent posted the picture of a guy in a rubbish tip. His name is Vocal Slender. Use Google to search for his contact details and try to get in touch with him to explain how people live on N80 or less per day in Nigeria. Maybe his explanation might open your porous brain to the realities on ground in that God forsaken country.

norrisman:

@ Arosa

Violent posted the picture of a guy in a rubbish tip. His name is Vocal Slender. Use Google to search for his contact details and try to get in touch with him to explain how people live on N80 or less per day in Nigeria. Maybe his explanation might open your porous brain to the realities on ground in that God forsaken country.

Norrisman, your obtuseness is really frustrating. When I joined this topic, I asked franel79 to elaborate on how someone lives on 50 cents a day, since he made that claim. And I have yet to get a satisfactory response. I genuinely want to know, I am intrigued by this idea. We are now talking about the poorest people in Nigeria. How does it work? Please give a detailed break-down of these 80 Naira, and how they are allocated to food, shelter and clothing. Considering the cost of food in Nigeria, how do these people prevent from dying of starvation? Or are they eating garbage? If this were true, people would be dropping dead on the streets in scores; alternatively, perhaps they are superhuman and don't need food at all. I am not interested in your silly, irrelevant arithmetic; I want a concrete break-down. And don't send me to Vocal Slender. I have watched the BBC documentary, so I am well aware of him. No, I want you to tell me in your own words how this works out.

norrisman:


So when he said he makes N4000 a day did he clarify if it was pure profit or total sales?

What about calculation above of a federal worker on N18000 which equates to $2.6/ day. It may sound like I am making up stories but I have a friend who has a petrol station who pays his attendants N4,000/mnth yes N4,000/mnth and expects them to sort themselves out by doing deals at the pump.

I am beginning to understand your confusion regarding this discussion, you have just proved my point. I have repeatedly tried to highlight that nobody survives on their ridiculously low wages alone - they find additional ways to generate income. You yourself have just conceded this (i.e. "doing deals at the pump". This is exactly the point I am trying to get across to you. And what you need to understand is the following: This additional income needs to be factored into their earnings. You cannot ignore it. It's what I call the 'Nigerian factor'.

People are forced to generate additional means of income. Everyone is doing it, because they have to. For example, you are aware that many civil servants often don't get their salary paid for months, right? Another example: the exploitation of children - in a poor family, everyone is a breadwinner. Thus the high rate of child abuse in Nigeria - the poor cannot afford for their children not to work, or beg. Another example: begging employers for extra money for emergencies, such as school fees or hospital bills. Many people are forced to beg their way through life. Another example: the necessity to bribe your way through to get things done. These people survive on bribes, because their salary could never sustain them.

The take-home message here is: Additional income, gained in the ways I described above (or otherwise), needs to be factored into the calculation.

Arosa:

Norrisman, your obtuseness is really frustrating. When I joined this topic, I asked franel79 to elaborate on how someone lives on 50 cents a day, since he made that claim. And I have yet to get a satisfactory response. I genuinely want to know, I am intrigued by this idea. We are now talking about the poorest people in Nigeria. How does it work? Please give a detailed break-down of these 80 Naira, and how they are allocated to food, shelter and clothing. Considering the cost of food in Nigeria, how do these people prevent from dying of starvation? Or are they eating garbage? If this were true, people would be dropping dead on the streets in scores; alternatively, perhaps they are superhuman and don't need food at all. I am not interested in your silly, irrelevant arithmetic; I want a concrete break-down. And don't send me to Vocal Slender. I have watched the BBC documentary, so I am well aware of him. No, I want you to tell me in your own words how this works out.

Those who live on 80 naira a day do not change their wardrobe as often as your argument suggested. You also wouldn't find them dining at expensive restaurants when it's cheaper to buy a "Congo" of rice for 50 bucks for the entire family.  And contrary to what you may think or what you may be used to, eating 3 square meals a day is actually seen as a misnorm for thousands of families. During my youth service, i met people who were used to eating full meals only at nights and snacking mostly during the day.

norrisman:

You wonder if some people went to school.

The minimum wage for Federal and state workers is N18,000. Much less in the private sector. I know this because the labourers in my mums shop collect approximately N12,000/ month for a 60hour, 6 day working week with possible deductions for ''breakages'' ( I do not support this form of slavery but she tells me thats the Nigerian way cos if they could get better they would have left her employment)

N18,000 = $110. If you subtract a quarter for transport, $80 is approximately $2.6/ day. if this is income of a household of 4, do the maths. And like some said. if the employed are living on this, what of the unemployed?

Sorry , this is no disrespect to your Mum, but this is wicked exploitation, plain and simple.

The money is not even enough for food talk less of accommodation.

SMH

violent:

Those who live on 80 naira a day do not change their wardrobe as often as your argument suggested. You also wouldn't find them dining at expensive restaurants when it's cheaper to buy a "Congo" of rice for 50 bucks for the entire family.  And contrary to what you may think or what you may be used to, eating 3 square meals a day is actually seen as a misnorm for thousands of families. During my youth service, i met people who were used to eating full meals only at nights and snacking mostly during the day.

I am aware of what you are saying, But I still want to know what you can do with 80 naira in today's Nigeria.

not every nigerian live less than 1 dollar a day. If I was living in nigeria, i will not be living in less than 1 dollar a day. But i am a graduate. But on the average , nigerian are poor  . I will say 80% of nigerian live less than $1 a day. while the rest 20% dont.

Jonathan Goodluck lives better than Obama.  Obama has no chance to roger.  When you add up every extra Jonathan Goodluck get, it is more than $1,000,000 a day.  Dangote lives more than $100000 a day.

 

And the ministers will not agree if they dont get roger(bride). That why we dont have a true federal system ,

Every contract govt sign comes with roger. This is why Nigeria does not have a federal system. having a federal system means govt officers and all the people in abuja will not receive roger.

musiwa,,.:

not every nigerian live less than 1 dollar a day. If I was living in nigeria, i will not be living in less than 1 dollar a day. But i am a graduate. But on the average , nigerian are poor  . I will say 80% of nigerian live less than $1 a day. while the rest 20% dont.

Jonathan Goodluck lives better than Obama.  Obama has no chance to roger.  When you add up every extra Jonathan Goodluck get, it is more than $1,000,000 a day.  Dangote lives more than $100000 a day.

Every contract govt sign comes with roger.  This is why Nigeria does not have a federal system. having a federal system means govt officers and all the people in abuja will not receive roger.   

And the ministers will not agree if they dont get roger(bride). That why we dont have a true federal system ,

There's no way we can understand what you are really saying except we see MAPS!

^^^ musiwa, maybe you will be able to explain to us how most Nigerian survive on 80 naira a day. what do you buy with it.

this is what I am saying  do you know how much diesel cost to maintain aso rock generators. Imagine if Jonathan Goodluck was the one paying for that. and other security and others.  

everywhere jonathan goes he has to give them rakadede money. Where is the money going to come from ,  From his salary.   uncle in the villages want money. sister brother want money.

And there is so much corruption in Nigeria because the salary paid does not reflect what the people buy. Govt must know what should be the average spending of Nigeria to determine minimum wage. to eliminate corruption.

The fuel crisis was an opportunity for Jonathan Goodluck to increase salary so that people would meet their means.  Fuel subsidy removal does not have to mean govt getting money back. That money should have been given back to workers. So that they can spend more. Jonathan Goodluck does not understand economy my brother. The more money people spend, the money taxes govt get.