Tag: POVERTY

“North has become a land of the living dead” – Mahdi Shehu

Aminu Imam
Mahdi Shehu on North

…Laments insecurity, leadership failure Prominent public affairs commentator, Mahdi Shehu, has delivered a scathing assessment of the state of Northern Nigeria, describing the region as a “land of the living dead” overwhelmed by insecurity, fear, poverty and a deepening leadership crisis. Shehu made the remarks on Saturday, through a post on his official 𝕏 account, where he expressed concern over what he called the gradual collapse of social consciousness and collective resilience among the people of the region. According to him, millions of residents are physically alive but have become…

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‘B’Haram, banditry, clashes driving poverty across the North’ – Report

Aminu Imam
Report on B'Haram, banditry

A new report has revealed that violent conflict across the northern part of the country is deepening poverty and weakening the ability of households to recover from economic shocks. The report, titled: ‘Insecurity, Livelihoods and Welfare in Northern Nigeria’, identified three major forms of insecurity affecting the region: Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgency in the North-East, farmer-herder conflicts in the North-Central, and banditry and kidnapping in the North-West. The findings were unveiled on Thursday in Abuja, during a high-level webinar convened by the ‘Chronic Poverty Advisory Network of the Institute of Development…

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“Poverty, out-of-school children driving insecurity in the North” — NSGF

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NSGF on North's insecurity

Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has identified widespread poverty, youth unemployment and the growing number of out-of-school children as major factors fuelling insecurity across northern Nigeria. Speaking yesterday at the meeting of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council held in Dutse, Jigawa State, Governor Yahaya said the region’s security challenges are deeply rooted in decades of underdevelopment and social deprivation. According to him, about 86 million people in Northern Nigeria, representing 65 per cent of the region’s population, are living…

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Tinubu declares National Emergency on insecurity, poverty

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Tinubu declares National Emergency

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared insecurity and poverty as national emergencies, describing them as serious threats to jobs, productivity, and overall national stability. The President made this known in his goodwill message to workers during the May Day celebration held at Eagle Square, Abuja. He was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume. Tinubu stressed that the twin challenges of insecurity and poverty continue to weaken livelihoods and undermine economic confidence. “There cannot be decent work where workers fear for their lives or where…

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FG blames states, LGAs for rising poverty in Nigeria

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Presidency on Gbaja2

The Federal Government has shifted responsibility for Nigeria’s growing poverty crisis to state governments and local government councils. Officials in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration said the burden of addressing multidimensional poverty does not rest on the Federal Government alone. They argued that state and local governments are constitutionally responsible for providing basic services that can lift citizens out of hardship. This position comes amid public concern over reports that about 133 million Nigerians are living in multidimensional poverty. Recall that on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President on…

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‘Over 140m Nigerians may become poorer by December’ – PwC

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PwC on poverty

Poverty levels in Nigeria are expected to worsen significantly over the next two years, with as many as 141 million Nigerians, representing about 62% of the population, projected to be living in poverty by 2026, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The projection is contained in PwC’s Nigeria Economic Outlook 2026, released yesterday titled: ‘Turning Macro-economic Stability into Sustainable Growth’, which warns that recent policy adjustments aimed at stabilising the economy are yet to translate into tangible welfare gains for households. PwC noted that weak real income growth, combined with persistently high…

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“Nigeria has 2nd-highest number of poor people globally” – Former NBS boss, Yemi Kale

Aminu Imam
Ex NBS boss, Yemi Kale

Former Statistician-General of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Yemi Kale, says approximately 89 million people, or 40% of Nigeria’s population, now live below the poverty line. Kale, currently the group’s Chief Economist and Managing Director of research and trade intelligence at Afreximbank, spoke at ‘The Platform’ Nigeria’s Independence Day event, themed: ‘Rebuilding Our Nation’. According to the economist, Nigeria is the country with the second-highest number of poor people globally after India. “To grasp the magnitude of this number, we can consider that fewer than 20 of the world’s…

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Catholic Bishops lament Nigeria’s worsening poverty

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Catholic Bishops lament

The Catholic Bishops of the Lagos, Ecclesiastical province, have called on the federal government to transition from short-term palliative measures to sustainable empowerment strategies aimed at improving the quality of life for Nigerians. In a communiqué issued at the end of their first plenary meeting for 2025, the Bishops expressed deep concern over the state of the nation. Highlighting the need to address the underlying structures that perpetuate poverty and inequality in the country, the Bishops emphasised the importance of implementing long-term solutions to enable financial independence and restore dignity…

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More than half of Nigerians live in poverty’ – World Bank

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W'Bank on poverty

The World Bank has said reforms undertaken by Nigerias government are essential, but have piled pressure on its people, more than half of whom live in poverty. Since coming to power in May 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has introduced reforms aimed at reviving the economy of Africas most populous nation. Measures include the liberalisation of the battered naira currency and cutting fuel subsidies, which allowed the state to keep gasoline prices low for decades. In a report published on Thursday, the World Bank said, The new policy direction is…

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“Poverty, unemployment, breeding grounds for violence, extremism” AbdulSalami

Aminu Imam
Abdulsalami Abubakar

Former Head of State, Gen. AbdulSalami Abubakar (rtd) has said poverty and unemployment are breeding grounds for violence and extremism. AbdulSalami stated this yesterday during the celebration of the ‘International Day of Peace 2024’, which held at the Lecture Hall of the AbdulSalami Abubakar Institute for Peace and Sustainability Development Studies, Minna, Niger State. According to him, Peace is the bedrock of any nations progress. Without peace, development is stifled, opportunities are lost, and society stagnates. The former Nigerian leader further said, Today, Nigeria faces numerous challenges that threaten the…

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