Nigerians identify Sickness, Poverty and Motor Accidents as Leading Causes of Death

Abuja, Nigeria. March 24th, 2015 – Latest snap poll results released by NOIPolls Limited has revealed that ‘Sickness’ (26 percent), ‘Poverty’ (24 percent), and ‘Motor accidents’ (16 percent), are considered the three leading causes of death in Nigeria amongst other causes. In line with this finding, most respondents (65 percent) were of the opinion that Nigerians do not live up to old age in recent times; with perceptions divided between ‘50 years or less’ and ‘70 years’ (26 percent each) as the current life expectancy in Nigeria. Although the World Health Statistics 2014 report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that the life expectancy in Nigeria rose from 46 years in 1990 to 54 years in 2012.[1]

Furthermore, 68 percent of the respondents interviewed disclosed that they personally know individuals who have passed away in the last three months with majority of these respondents within the North-West (77 percent) and North-East (76 percent) zones. This isn't surprising given recent incidents of attacks and the challenge of insurgency which have claimed many lives in these regions. In addition, 'Sickness’ was pointed out as the leading cause of death of these individuals (65 percent); followed by ‘Motor accident’ (12 percent), ‘Natural death’ (11 percent) and ‘Insurgency’ (8 percent) amongst other causes.

Finally, the findings from this poll highlights crucial implications for key policy reforms in Nigeria's public health system, poverty alleviation & rural development planning, and the transportation & road sector. As such there are key considerations for various stakeholders ranging from: government at the federal, state and local levels; public health policy makers and institutions; poverty alleviation agencies & instutions; the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), federal and state road maintenance agencies, as well as key ministeries and agencies relating to road and transportation in Nigeria. These are the key findings from the Leading Causes of Death poll conducted in the week of March 16th 2015.

Brief Background

Recently, the WHO indicated that the mortality rate in Nigeria is high. With several socio-economic, health and environmental factors contributing to the high mortality rate in Nigeria, malnutrition has been identified by a recent Directorate for Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructures (DFRRI) as a dangerous problem threatening long life in Nigeria despite Nigeria’s vast arable land that is enough to grow sufficient food. Families and communities need to be educated on the best way to feed in order to increase the life expectancy in the country.[2]

There is also the menace of road accidents; this has killed nearly 1.3 million people annually according to Dr. David Okello, director at World Health Organization (WHO). Another cause of death is the sad incidence of insurgency that has ravaged parts of the North-West and North-East regions. While the government and other stakeholders have risen to fight against insecurity especially in these zones, there is still more to be done to curtail the predominant deaths among Nigerians by improving the standard of living of Nigerians as well as the creation of more awareness on precautionary measures to prevent accidents that lead to death.[3]

Against this background, NOIPolls conducted its recent poll on the leading causes of death in Nigeria to gauge the perception of Nigerians on the life expectancy and the major causes of death in Nigeria.

Survey Findings

Respondents to the poll were asked five specific questions. Firstly, respondents were asked: In your opinion, do you think Nigerians live long to old age in recent times? The findings revealed that most respondents (65 percent) think that Nigerians do not live long to old age nowadays, whereas, 35 percent responded positively to the question.


Subsequently, respondents were asked: What do you think is the current life expectancy in Nigeria? The perception of Nigerians on the life expectancy in Nigeria is divided between ‘50 years or less’ and ‘70 years’ (26 percent each). This is closely followed by respondents (23 percent) who mentioned ‘60 years’, while 12 percent claimed it is ‘80 years’ amongst other responses. This current poll result supports the World Health Statistics 2014 report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which indicated that Nigerians’ life expectancy rose from 46 years in 1990 to 54 years in 2012.

Further analysis revealed geo-political zone variations in perceptions of Nigerians on life expectancy in Nigeria. While a higher proportion of Nigerians in the North-Central (34 percent) and North-West (35 percent) zonesperceive life expectancy in Nigeria to be ‘50 years or less’, more respondents from the South-East (35 percent) and South-West (34 percent) zones indicated ‘70 years’. Also, the North-East zone has the largest proportion (29 percent) of respondents who indicated 60 years. These variations in geo-political zones may be influenced by several socio-economic and environmental factors that are peculiar to each zone. For instance responses from the North-West zone may be influenced by insurgency in the region which has claimed many lives in recent times.

Respondents were further asked: Do you know anyone who passed away in the last three months? In response to this question, a larger proportion (68 percent) of respondents disclosed knowing people who have passed away over the last three months with majority of the respondents within this group from the North-West (76 percent) and North-East zones (77 percent). Conversely, 32 percent of the respondents claimed that they are not aware of anyone who has passed away within the last three months with majority of respondents in this category from the South-East zone (35 percent) and the South-West zone (44 percent).



Respondents who said yes to the previous question (68 percent of the total) were further asked: What was the cause of death of the individual? Findings revealed that 65 percent of Nigerians who admitted knowing people that have passed away within the last three months reported 'Sickness’ as the leading cause of death of these individuals. ‘Motor accident’ (12 percent), ‘natural death’ (11 percent) and ‘insurgency’ (8 percent) were other factors reported by Nigerians from different regions.

Further analysis by geo-political zones revealed that the North-West zone (15 percent) and North-East zone (14 percent) have the highest fraction of respondents who indicated insurgency as the cause of death. The North-Central zone (57 percent) has the largest proportion of Nigerians who acknowledged motor accident as the cause of death.

This finding therefore confirms the report of the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Felix Chukwu, stating that the Federal Capital Territory as part of the North-Central zone has the highest fatality rate in the country from road accidents in 2014.[4] In line with this, some of the routes mentioned are the Abuja-Gwagwalada-Yangoji-Abaji-Lokoja area, Abuja-Nyanya-Keffi area, Akwanga­ Lafia highway, Okene ­Lokoja highway, Abuja ­Suleja highway and Abuja-Zuba-Sabon Wuse-Kateri-Kakau-Kaduna area as well as the city centre roads amongst other routes.[5]

Finally, in order to ascertain the leading cause of death in Nigeria, respondents were asked: In your opinion, what do you think is the major cause of death in Nigeria? The outcome indicates that ‘Sickness’ is the leading cause of death in Nigeria as reported by majority of the respondents (26 percent). This is followed by ‘Poverty’ (24 percent), ‘Motor accident’ (16 percent) and ‘Malnutrition’ (7 percent) amongst other causes of death in the country.



In conclusion, 65 percent of respondents surveyed believe Nigerians do not live long in recent times, while 35 percent responded positively. To this effect Nigerians believe that the life expectancy of an average Nigerian is ’50 years and below’ or ‘70 years’ (26 percent each). In addition, 68 percent of Nigerians disclosed they know individuals who have passed away over the last three months, with 'Sickness’ cited as the major cause of death of the individuals amongst other causes. Finally, ‘Sickness’ (26 percent), ‘Poverty’ (24 percent), and ‘Motor accident’ (16 percent), topped the list of the leading causes of death in Nigeria among other causes. These findings have clear implications for reforms in the public health, poverty alleviation and transportation sectors of the country.

Survey Methods

The opinion poll was conducted in the week 16th March 2015. It involved telephone interviews of a random nationwide sample. 1,000 randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 years and above, representing the six geopolitical zones in the country, were interviewed. With a sample of this size, we can say with 95% confidence that the results obtained are statistically precise - within a range of plus or minus 3%. NOIPolls Limited, No1 for country specific polling services in West Africa, which works in technical partnership with the Gallup Organisation (USA), to conduct periodic opinion polls and studies on various socio-economic and political issues in Nigeria. More information is available at www.noi-polls.com



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Source: http://www.noi-polls.com/root/index.php?pid=308&ptid=1&parentid=14

Once poverty is gone, we’ll need to build museums to display its horrors to future generations. They’ll wonder why poverty continued so long in human society – how a few people could live in luxury while billions dwelt in poverty, which is one of the major causes of death according to the OP

hiaaaaan GEJ caused all this

Good development, at least we are marching on steadily

🔥 📱

Who's this OP na

Na u write psalm119



[size=15]IamFemaleGuy[/size]

May God protect us all from untimely death.

Please am very lazy "summary please"

The summaryof it all is bad governance from our leaders as a result of their sheer avarice. They've robbed many and killed lots due to their selfish and vested decisions.

WIZGUY69:
Ojuku's cowardice should top the list.
after sacrificing 3 million of his Igbo foolish brothers

this isn't necessary bro

WIZGUY69:
Ojuku's cowardice should top the list.
after sacrificing 3 million of his Igbo foolish brothers.

This mentality of yours by far tops the chart of the greatest death causer of this country.

Death physical, emotional and of the soul.

Bigotry!!

WIZGUY 69:
Ojuku's cowardice should top the list.
after sacrificing 3 million of his Igbo foolish brothers.

Tribalism such as this is also a cause.

As for the accident causes. I will put the blame on government (70%) and the road users (25%) and others (5%).

The Government.
More than 80% of roads in Nigeria are not very good. Their conditions has so much deteriorate to the extent of which you hardly no see pot holes on our roads. Our major motorways are so terrible, that you find traffic facing each other at any point when you journey. Take for example, Lagos-Ibadan expressway is so terrible that from Mowe to Shagamu interchange, you will have to drive with care, and same thing from Shapade area of Ijebu to Ibadan. Both contractors on this road are taking their time to work, because for me I don't see any serious work going on there, except to endanger the lives of the road users with all the bricks on the road. Yet, our government is not cautioning the contractor to finish their job on both section on time. And, this has been the situation with other roads within the nation. Roads maintenance in Nigeria are so poor that one think if this country has leaders. Look around all the states. Roads within Lagos, the same in every other states. No wonder, I'm not surprised when Nigeria was listed as no 154 on the United Nation HDI index.

Road Users.
Majority of the drivers drive carelessly on the road. From over speeding to going on the one way direction. Some drivers want short-cuts, and are not patience enough to follow diligently the regulation on the road. Once there's a little traffic, you see the drivers going on the opposite direction in a hurry to beat up their peers. There's nothing as dangerous driving on the opposite direction on a motorway without a proper arrangement from the road management. Another factor is the nonchalant of the drivers on the steering. Some don't bother to put on their seat belt, some will be driving with one hand and the other on the phone. So many factors with this driver I must confess. The overtaking at a bend or sharp corner are all not necessary sometimes too.

Other Factors.
This will be for a lot of breakdown on our roads, and the owner of such cars or trucks don't care to move them off the roads. Placing items, such as stones, tyres, leaves on the road constitutes nuisance on our roads.

Once we can guide against all this factor and the government helps with our roads maintenance too, I think there will be a drop in the percentage of road accidents on our roads.

Good morning.

This is so true, but poverty should have been numero uno on that chat because most of those who die as a result of sickness is based on lack good medical care caused by poverty.

Buhari is one of the causes of death in Nigeria ....

2011 post-election violence

Bokoharam...

Making the country ungovernable for Gej

One Fool up there said Ojukwu Should top the list.

Where did u put Buhari.??

so smoking n drinking is not there.... thank God oo..
Madam Caro, give me 1 bottle of Gulder with 3sticks of Switch.

Seconded.

But in the north, boko haram and Fulani herds men are responsible for about 60 Percent of death since 2011

Poverty and Religion

exactly what DADDY preached at church today

HOW TO PROSPER IN THE MIDST OF CRISIS

Psalms 91:7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.



no matter the condition of the country i and my family
Psalms 118:17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.



hit like if you claim those scriptures for you and your family





@MINET16

k

Corruption is the biggest culprit.

femaleGuy:
Who's this OP na
Na u write psalm119
[size=15]IamFemaleGuy[/size]

hmmm

Poverty,tribalism,politics and religion.
We need God to help us in dis nation.

Without research I can sit in my bedroom and know so.

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Poverty is the number 1 killer,ignorance follows,after these 2 is impatience

Politician causing untimely death since 00 AD

In summary of that long story, nigeria is a third world country.