RANDOM THOTS
To a development analyst, this is not good news. A new report by the World Poverty Clock has revealed that Nigeria has overtaken India as the country with the largest number of people living in extreme poverty.
According to the report, extreme poverty in Nigeria is growing by six people every minute, the highest number in the world. The survey showed that at the end of May (2018), Nigeria had an estimated 87 million people living in extreme poverty; compared to India’s 73 million.
This statistics is even more depressing when one considers that Nigeria’s population is currently 186 million, according to 2016 statistics. On the other hand, India, which is witnessing a decline in its level of extreme poverty, has a current population of 1,353,726,985 as of Monday, June 25, 2018 (seven times that of Nigeria).
From this report, it appears Nigeria’s quest to realise the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to end extreme poverty by 2030 may be unattainable. The UN also predicts that Nigeria will become the world’s third largest country by 2050.
With all these damning statistics, one then wonders what effect the huge annual budgets have had on the lives of the citizenry. The same budgets in trillions, which have been described as people-friendly by the current administration, have had no appreciable impact; no wonder the average Nigerian is angry and disillusioned with the government of the day, despite official explanations.
To this reporter, extreme poverty can only breed extreme anger, hunger and desperation; all of which are pointers to discontent. If this administration intends to renew its mandate next year, it has to change its anti-poverty strategies and do something quickly. To feign ignorance of surveys such as this is to invite anarchy from frustrated citizens…just saying
– Abimbola Akosile
