One hundred and thirty-three million Nigerians are multidimensionally poor—over 60% of our population.
This was one of the takeaways from the National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report recently launched by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). According to the report, 133 million Nigerians are deprived of more than one essential survival need (good health, good living standards, basic education, and gainful employment).
Key takeaways:
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Two out of three Nigerians lack one or more basic resources for survival, with the most deprived Nigerians being in Sokoto, Bayelsa, Jigawa, Yobe and Gombe states.
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The key areas of deprivation (clean cooking fuel, healthcare, food and sanitation) are critical to the health of Nigerians. Therefore, deprivation among Nigeria’s poor restricts them from a better life and moves them closer to death.
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The solution requires the government to provide adequate security, healthcare infrastructure and an enabling environment for the private sector to provide gainful employment.
Even so, it's not news that many Nigerians are poor. Sometime in 2018, Nigeria was said to have surpassed India as the poverty capital of the World, with 87 million people living below the poverty line.
Still, the fact that two out of three Nigerians are poor is quite sobering.
The index, currently the country's most extensive database on poverty, shows how many Nigerians are deprived of basic needs. The data is collected
