The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has confirmed that about 130 million Nigerians are currently living below poverty line.
The agency made this revelation in its 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index Survey, published in Abuja on Thursday, November, 17, noting that the figure represents 63% of the entire nation’s population, the Bureau stated that the poverty index is mostly common in rural settlements, especially in the northern axis, with women and children being victims.
The survey was conducted by the NBS, the National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI).
Using data, based on Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), using five benchmarks of health, living standard, education, security, and unemployment, the report maintained that over 50 percent of children across the country are affected by poverty.
The Statistician-General of the Federation, Adeyemi Adeniran, asserted that 56,610 households were surveyed, and areas such as health, education, living standards, food security, water reliability, underemployment, security shocks, and school attendance were also put into consideration.
While the multidimensional poverty index stood at 27 percent in Ondo State, the figure is estimated at 90 percent in Sokoto state, making it the worst hit by the socio-economic issue.
