Poverty in Nigeria

North West = 71.2%
North East = 72.2%
North central = 67%
South West = 43%
South South = 36.1%
South East = 26.7%

http://www.triumphnewspapers.com/our21102008.html

Our pact with poverty
By Robert Obioha
obioha@sunnewsonline.com
Those who think that things are working in the country should better think twice with the recent Nigeria’s poverty figures released by both the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The Senior Special Assistant to the President and National Coordinator of NAPEP, Dr. Magnus Kpakol, had at a public lecture on “Poverty Solution: The Role of Government in Poverty Eradication,” held in Minna, Niger State, a fortnight ago, disclosed that 70 million Nigerians, about half of the nation’s population, are poor.
That means that one out of every two Nigerians live in poverty. And judging by the global benchmark on poverty index, it shows that about 70 million Nigerians live below poverty line at one US dollar per day. According to the NAPEP boss, 70 million Nigerians now live below N65 a day. The situation might be bleaker if the overall poverty picture can be statistically captured considering our poor statistical culture.
The source of Kpakol’s figure is a recent study by the National Bureau of Statistics. Though this writer does not intend to doubt the figure dished out by Kpakol, it is instructive to point out that the recent poverty figures released by the UNDP show that the poor in Nigeria is 70.8 percent of the population, which is far above the national poverty figure as presented by NAPEP.
All the same, the fact still remains that the number of the poor in Nigeria is rather on the high side irrespective of the huge differences in the two varying statistical figures. Both serve as a veritable reminder that the nation is already having a pact with poverty in spite of all efforts to eradicate it.
It is interesting to note that poverty in Nigeria transcends sex, tribe and religion. It affects all the six geo-political zones in the country, though, in varying proportions and intensity. It has also nullified all the claims of high performance by the various governments in the country. It has revealed, once again, that all is not well with the way we run our affairs as a country.
With this picture of poverty, we can no longer pretend that all is well with the country or delude ourselves into ever thinking that the country is working when more than half of its population go to bed hungry despite the abundant human and material resources available to squarely address the problem.
When did poverty start starring all of us in the face? It is since we collectively abandoned agriculture and pursued the abundant petrol-dollars and inflated contracts. It began when we abandoned production to pursue import trade that has, overtime, made us a dumping ground for any shabby good manufactured in Europe, Asia and America.
A look at the overall trend in poverty rates over the years in the country revealed that in 1980, the figure was 28.1 million. It increased to 46.3 million in 1985 and slides a little to 42.7 million in 1992.It rose very high in 1996 at 65.6 million and 70.0 million in 1999 while the 2004 figure was 54.4 million.
These figures further reinforce the view that the problem is ever increasing rather than being abetted by the avalanche of programmes and interventions aimed at reducing it or out rightly eradicating it from our shores. Given the level of human and material resources at our disposal, Nigerians would, indeed, have no pact with poverty in the first instance.
But the tragedy of our situation is that as more money comes in, the more the poverty level increases disappointingly. Our problem is worsened by corrupt and avaricious leadership that is perpetually and overtly insensitive to the yearnings of the suffering masses of this country that voted them into power to salvage their situation.
Let’s serve you with the statistical breakdown of the poverty rates among the six geo-political zones of the country. The North-East leads the pack with 72.2 percent. North-West closely follows it at 71.2 percent while North-Central came third at 67.0 percent. The South-West came fourth at 43.1 percent, South-South fifth at 31.5 percent and South-East is sixth at 26.7 percent.
The most interesting thing about this regional portrayal of the poverty rates is that the North, which had had the longest hold on power and can boast of a few wealthy individuals, has the greater percentage of the poor than the South. The picture of the North shows that money is not evenly distributed. It is a sharp contrast to the South where wealth is evenly distributed.
The fact that the South-East recorded the least poverty figure is never by magic. It is a reflection of the age-long entrepreneur spirit of the Igbo. It is a portrayal of the fact that the average Igbo does not look up to government or anybody for sustenance. The people do not depend on anybody or government even for projects. That the zone recorded a lower poverty rate is never as a result of government’s institutionalized poverty-alleviation programmes.
The South recorded lower poverty level when compared to the North because of its high level of literacy, which makes it possible for people to acquire skills unlike in the North where many years of misrule and almajiri culture had perpetuated poverty instead of eradicating it.
Poverty in Nigeria is driven by greed and lack of compassion on the part of our visionless and rudderless leaders. It is also driven by the penchant of the privileged few individuals in our midst who shamelessly appropriate our collective patrimony leaving the majority of us highly impoverished.
Many Nigerians are poor not because of laziness or ill luck as some religious zealots would have us believe. People are poor where there is uneven distribution of wealth and factors of production. There is gender angle to it as women are denied access to work by some religious and cultural restrictions. As officially acknowledged, some Nigerians are poor because they lack some tools and capacity as well as the technological advancement to improve their lives.
To bail the poor out of this state-imposed predicament, the government should think of novel ways to tackle the problem of poverty in the land. There is no point recycling old techniques and methodologies, which have proven obsolete and unworkable.
What the government can do right now is to embark on massive job creation. Here, we mean agro-based jobs and not white-collar jobs per se. We say this because Nigerians are hard-working people who will be ever ready to unleash their potentials if the enabling environment is there.
Most of the discontent in the land, even in the Niger Delta area and other trouble spots in the land is poverty-induced and driven. If the 70 million poor Nigerians are uplifted from that unenviable status, it is not in doubt that the country will be better for it.
We have the enormous resources at our disposal to solve this problem now. What remains is for the political leadership to muster enough willpower to address the problem. We have enough arable land for all kinds of agriculture as well as the aquatic cultures for fish farming. We do not lack the hands that can make things happen in the area of agriculture.
We do not lack fanciful proposals on how to solve our everyday problems. The only snag is implementation. A time has come when all the levels of government in Nigeria will treat poverty as an emergency that needs to be tackled with all amount of seriousness it rightly deserved. There is no way the country can achieve its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Vision 2020 and its seven-point agenda when 70 million of its population wallow in abject poverty and deprivation.
What the poor in Nigeria are asking for is empowerment and not necessarily free lunch as obtains in other lands. The time to eradicate poverty in Nigeria is now, as any postponement will worsen the situation.

Even in rural areas too, the south east is better off

http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0002273/Human_Capital_Nigeria_Oct2005.pdf

Let them open up the calabar port n see wat wil hapn in ten years time

Interesting statistics-

It could be possible that the mass migration of people in the South East and North to the South West, due to the significant economic opportunities, could have increased poverty in the South West, and consequently reduced poverty statistics in the South East. I would wager that there would be a larger number of people in the South East if such an adjustment was made to the methodology of this study.

My two cents

SEFAGO:

Interesting statistics-

It could be possible that the mass migration of people in the South East and North to the South West, due to the significant economic opportunities, could have increased poverty in the South West, and consequently reduced poverty statistics in the South East.

Enough said really.

SEFAGO:

Interesting statistics-

It could be possible that the mass migration of people in the South East and North to the South West, due to the significant economic opportunities, could have increased poverty in the South West, and consequently reduced poverty statistics in the South East. I would wager that there would be a larger number of people in the South East if such an adjustment was made to the methodology of this study.

My two cents

GBAM!!

If the S' East is that rich, why are the easterners AND northerners trooping en mass to the S'west in millions everyday? The S west Nigeria is the now the melting point of the fortune seekers from across West Africa. This dilute as a matter of logic, the existing wealth and social infrastructure there!

How many Yoruba people are in the East as compared to the Easterners in the west, And they never want to go back home!!

If you look at the poverty stats, Lagos has a relatively lower level of poverty. The higher levels of poverty in the South West is due to the surrounding states. In Nigeria, there are greater levels of poverty in the rural areas than the urban areas.

What these stats reveal is the total disconnect between Govt investment and the poverty levels. A good lesson for lefties everywhere, including the UK/US. If state intervention reduced poverty, the North will have far lower levels of poverty.

4 Play:

If you look at the poverty stats, Lagos has a relatively lower level of poverty. The higher levels of poverty in the South West is due to the surrounding states. In Nigeria, there are greater levels of poverty in the rural areas than the urban areas.

What these stats reveal is the total disconnect between Govt investment and the poverty levels. A good lesson for lefties everywhere, including the UK/US. If state intervention reduced poverty, the North will have far lower levels of poverty.

please include the link to your 'stats',

Bishopking:

GBAM!!

If the S' East is that rich, why are the easterners AND northerners trooping en mass to the S'west in millions everyday? The S west Nigeria is the now the melting point of the fortune seekers from across West Africa. This dilute as a matter of logic, the existing wealth and social infrastructure there!

How many Yoruba people are in the East as compared to the Easterners in the west, And they never want to go back home!!

guy at least talk educated, lagos being the Nations former capital had lots of advantages from the begining and it makes common sense that it would be the most developed city as govt officials back in the day would make sure it was befitting to meet their enjoying tendencies.

Not even a mad man would deny that lagos is indeed the economic power house of nigeria and that same mad man would not deny that it is the yorubas as well as the non yorubas, state and federal govt that made lagos what it is today,

Naijas sef!!must everything be about which ethnic group is better than the other?

SEFAGO:

Interesting statistics-

It could be possible that the mass migration of people in the South East and North to the South West, due to the significant economic opportunities, could have increased poverty in the South West, and consequently reduced poverty statistics in the South East. I would wager that there would be a larger number of people in the South East if such an adjustment was made to the methodology of this study.

My two cents

They go to Lagos. There isn't much else in the South West outside Lagos (especially with the likes of Alao Akala running around).
Apart from Lagos, the South East and South South are far more developed than the South West.

We should stop deceiving ourselves, the whole country is too damn poor.

Apart from Lagos, the [b]South East and South South [/b]are far more developed than the South West.

We should stop deceiving ourselves, the whole country is too damn poor.

Na lie, I can maybe believe the south east- but also the south south

SEFAGO:

Interesting statistics-

It could be possible that the mass migration of people in the South East and North to the South West, due to the significant economic opportunities, could have increased poverty in the South West, and consequently reduced poverty statistics in the South East. I would wager that there would be a larger number of people in the South East if such an adjustment was made to the methodology of this study.

My two cents

You do have a point there. I just hate that it is being made in such a way and by you !! lol

Ibadan region is hugely developed.

Southerners have more going for them for a lot of reasons.

1. They embraced education more than the northerners. They are able to go abroad and
seek greener pastures.

2. There are more southerners overseas that are able to send money home to their loved ones, thus,
helping alleviate poverty.

3. The southeasterners, as we all know, are very entrepreneurial in nature. They have businesses
scattered all over Nigeria and rely less on the govt to take care of them.

These are the main reasons why poverty is more rampant in the North than the south.

By the way, how do you expect the North to thrive with an almajiri type culture and mind set in place ?

Andre Uweh:

Ibadan region is hugely developed.

Is that a joke?

SEFAGO:

Na lie, I can maybe believe the south east- but also the south south  

Absolutely! After Lagos, there's not much.

Forget the statistics. how many persons can vouch for 3 meals per day in the country. the stat is a complete deceit.

maxell:

Southerners have more going for them for a lot of reasons.

1. They embraced education more than the northerners. They are able to go abroad and
seek greener pastures.

2. There are more southerners overseas that are able to send money home to their loved ones, thus,
helping alleviate poverty.

3. The southeasters, as we all know, are very entrepreneurial in nature. They have businesses
scattered all over Nigeria and rely less on the govt to take care of them.

These are the main reasons why poverty is more rampant in the North than the south.

By the way, how do you expect the North to thrive with an almajiri type culture and mind set in place ?

I hate that we are quickly turning this into yet another "ATTACK THE NORTH" rather than accept responsibility for the squalor that exists in our own backyard thread. Considering all you have up there and how long we have been at this BLAME GAME, we ought to be readon to move past this need to COMPARE the level of decay to focus more on resolving the issues and getting ourselves off such lists.

Kobojunkie:

I hate that we are quickly turning this into yet another "ATTACK THE NORTH" rather than accept responsibility for the squalor that exists in our own backyard thread. Considering all you have up there and how long we have been at this BLAME GAME, we ought to be readon to move past this need to COMPARE the level of decay to focus more on resolving the issues and getting ourselves off such lists.

Where was I attacking the North? Me stating that they do not embrace education means I am attacking them 

kobo, I am just stating the honest truth. In order to get out of any situation, an understanding of the underlying
problem must me known and confronted.

If you have a relative that is a high school drop out, and as such, can't make a decent living, Wouldn't you bring
it to his/her attention so he can get his act together by going back to school or seek some career training ?

I meant no harm girlfriend. I was just speaking the honest truth 

Beaf:

Is that a joke?

Absolutely! After Lagos, there's not much.

Ibadan region also attracts many people from different backgrounds. Only the municipality of Ibadan has a population of 3.2 million people (census 2006).
It has the tallest building  or one of the tallest buildings in Nigeria.
It is home to Unibadan, the poly Ibadan, Int inst for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Cocoa research institute.
Also home to Nigerian brew ltd, Uni col hospital, Adeoyo hospital, Amusement centre Samonda, NISER, Zoological and botanical garden.
Some of the largest markets are located in Ibadan e.g Aleshilonye mkt, Dugbe mkt etc.

Without doubt, Ibadan region is one of the most developed regions in West Africa.

Andre Uweh:


Without doubt, Ibadan region is one of the most developed regions in West Africa.

Absolutely!

Ibadan was around even before Lagos (it had more population than Lagos at one point).

Good point there Andre uweh

you people are wrong.  there is nothing in ibadan. just too many people . The most develop part of nigeria from satellite picture is the north.

One road from bauchi to maiduguri is about 500 km.  When you compare that to the two major road in the south west. The benin -lagos  and the lagos to ilorin road. When you add the two road together, the distance is 350 km (180 + 170 km)

The Kaduna to kano expressway is 250 km
Kaduna to abuja expressway is 180 Km
The Kaduna to Jos is 190 km
Sokoto to Kebbi is 140 km


The north is the most develop part of Nigeria,  from satellite pictures.  You would be shock by the number of expressway in the north.

This is followed by the south east
Then by  the south south
if you remove lagos, there is nothing again in yorubaland.

pictures is a small town in the north.

yorubaland is the poorest in nigeria if you look at satellite pictures.

What you are looking for is good road, health care, airports and others.  This is how you measure development, and the north have more in good road, health care and airport than south or yorubaland. They are more developed. I would show you more pictures.

Yorubaland and the mid west is the worst in poverty in nigeria. The east is Ok from the satellite picture. They have better road than yorubaland and the Mid west.

^ oh f.u.k the devil is here

so becomerich, having lengthier highways means they are more developed than the south 

Besides, the thread is about regions of more poverty. The ibadan thingy was a mere digression.

here is how the road in the north looks like. The north have 15 times more road than the south west and far better road than the south.  The north is more developed than the south. I have pictures, this are how small towns in the north looks like

Yes , this is how you measure development, if you have nothing , you hav are not developed, and the south west have nothing. Yorubas people are just been fool and some are been silly, because they have not been to oher part of nigeria. I have been to more than 24 states in nigeria. I have seen the other part of nigeria. Yorubas are far behind in developed. even satellite pictures shows it.

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Yes , this is how you measure development, if you have nothing , you hav are not developed, and the south west have nothing. Yorubas people are just been fool and some are been silly, because they have not been to oher part of nigeria. I have been to more than 24 states in nigeria. I have seen the other part of nigeria. Yorubas are far behind in developed. even satellite pictures shows it.

i agree with you 100%

Becomerich is easily the most powerful moderator here: he closes threads at one post!

Becomrich please tell me you're joking. I would have loved to say more but the stats have made me so sad that i can't even think properly at the moment. I've known for a month now that Nigeria is 50% but i didn't know the extent of it.
Now that i see it i just want to close my eyes and never wake up.

The stat on rural poverty is more informative (and thus, lends a powerful credence to the overall stat) since poverty in Nigeria is more in rural than in urban areas. If the SEners in their villages are better off than SWner, Nners etc, it only means that this has nothing to do with Lagos. I have tons of data from UNDP and all pointed to the fact that SWners are poorer, followed by SSner and then the SEners. The North, of course, is poverty epitomized.

AndreUweh

Ibadan may have a university, market, tallest building, etc; but that is about it. Don't other states have unis and markets? Ibadan can't compare with Enugu in development, neither can it do so with Calabar and PH (for the SS). Go to cocoa house of today; the building is completely run down. Go to Molete, the heart of Ibadan; all you see are ancient houses with rusty roofs. Note that Ibadan is just the capital. How are other parts of Oyo fairing?

Hmmn