The World Bank on Wednesday expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s worsening poverty degree, revealing that regardless of current financial stabilisation efforts, about 139 million residents at the moment are residing in poverty.
The Bank warned that the nation dangers shedding the good points of its ongoing reforms in the event that they fail to deliver actual enhancements to the lives of peculiar Nigerians.
The disclosure was made by World Bank Nation Director for Nigeria, Mathew Verghis, on Wednesday in Abuja throughout the launch of the October 2025 Nigeria Improvement Replace titled “From Coverage to Individuals: Bringing the Reform Positive factors House.”
For the reason that launch of the report, reactions have continued to path the findings from varied quarters, civil activists, opposition events, and the Nigerian authorities itself.
Whereas many Nigerians say the report mirrors the cruel realities of each day life, the Presidency has strongly disputed the World Bank’s figures, describing them as unrealistic and disconnected from the nation’s precise financial situations.
In an announcement issued on Thursday by way of President Bola Tinubu’s Particular Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, the federal government mentioned the poverty statistics have to be correctly contextualised inside the framework of worldwide poverty measurement fashions.
“Whereas Nigeria values its partnership with the World Bank and appreciates its contributions to coverage evaluation, the determine quoted have to be correctly contextualised. It’s unrealistic,” Dare wrote on his official X account.
The Presidency defined that the 139 million poverty estimate was derived from the worldwide poverty line of $2.15 per particular person per day, which was set in 2017 utilizing the Buying Energy Parity (PPP) mannequin.
Based on the federal government, this shouldn’t be seen as a precise rely of Nigerians residing in poverty.
It additional argued that when transformed to native foreign money, the worldwide poverty line of $2.15 per day quantities to about ₦100,000 monthly, a determine that surpasses Nigeria’s new minimal wage of ₦70,000, making it an analytical assemble somewhat than an actual-time reflection of earnings realities.
“President Tinubu’s administration is dedicated to decreasing the incidence of poverty. Nigeria rejects exaggerated statistical interpretations indifferent from native realities,” the presidency had mentioned.
Nonetheless, not everybody agrees with the federal government’s place, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in an announcement on Thursday urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to simply accept the current World Bank report exhibiting a pointy rise in poverty throughout Nigeria.
Based on ADC, it’s clear proof that his administration’s financial insurance policies have worsened the residing situations of thousands and thousands of residents.
North has been lowered under degree of slaves – Mahdi Shehu
Civil rights activist, Mahdi Shehu, described the current World Bank report as a mirrored image of the cruel actuality that residents have been residing by way of for years.
In an unique interview with DAILY POST on Thursday, Shehu mentioned the report didn’t come as a shock to those that perceive what Nigerians have been going by way of, particularly since 2015.
“Yesterday’s assertion by the World Bank that 139 million Nigerians are going through acute starvation will not be information to those that know what Nigerians have been going by way of, significantly from 2015 so far,” he mentioned.
Shehu added that the starvation determine solely represents a small portion of the larger tragedy unfolding within the nation.
“Add this determine to over 30 million out-of-college kids, over 600 kids dying each day from acute malnutrition, the rising unemployment price, and you’ll perceive the larger image of the present despair, despondency, decay, and hopelessness in Nigeria,” he said.
Based on him, Nigeria has now grow to be a spot the place all people is on his personal, all people for himself, God for us all, survival of the fittest and the satan take the hindmost.
The activist blamed years of poor management and misplaced priorities for the worsening poverty, particularly within the northern a part of the nation.
He mentioned the North has grow to be the worst sufferer of financial dispossession and social collapse.
“The worst hit by way of financial dispossession is the northern a part of Nigeria, the place over 80 p.c of the inhabitants have been pushed into everlasting, irreversible financial bondage,” Shehu lamented.
He mentioned this situation has led to damaged properties, malnutrition, growing deaths from preventable ailments, hopelessness, and an entire breakdown of values and ethics.
Talking additional, Shehu mentioned democracy has introduced nothing however ache and distress to individuals within the area.
“For the northern a part of Nigeria, democracy means nothing to them. It’s a system that has decimated them, destroyed their cohesion, commerce, and commerce, ruined their effectively-being, and lowered them to the extent under that of slaves in a rustic the place they’re mentioned to be residents,” he mentioned.
He faulted political leaders for neglecting the poor whereas enriching themselves, including that the state of affairs has left peculiar Nigerians feeling deserted and betrayed.
“The leaders stay in consolation and luxurious whereas the individuals undergo in silence. What we’ve got now will not be democracy; it’s a system of oppression sustained by starvation, worry, and deceit,” he concluded.
Rejecting report is injustice to the poor – Bello
Hon. Jafar Sani Bello, a politician and public affairs analyst in an unique interview with DAILY POST on Thursday mentioned that dismissing the current poverty report launched by a good worldwide group would quantity to an injustice and an insult to thousands and thousands of poor Nigerians who’re immediately affected by the nation’s financial hardship.
Based on him, the report, although ugly and unpalatable, displays the cruel actuality confronted by many Nigerians, particularly within the northern area.
“It’s a report from a good group, and regardless of its ugly and unpalatable look, we’ve got to simply accept it and search for methods and means to deliver succor to these captured within the internet,” Bello mentioned.
“Dismissing the report will quantity to a grave injustice and insult to these affected.”
He defined that the northern area has been hit the toughest by poverty, owing to a number of financial and safety challenges.
“I consider the North is adversely affected, and there are quite a few components accountable for this,” he mentioned.
“The importation coverage of the admission of agricultural staple meals like rice and maize, and the exorbitant excessive value of fertilizer, have made issues worse.”
Bello famous that almost all northern farmers now wrestle to remain afloat as the price of manufacturing far outweighs the promoting worth of their produce.
“The costs of the produce don’t justify the manufacturing value on the farmers, majority of whom are northerners,” he mentioned.
“This, coupled with the opposed impact of insecurity that has ravaged the North with no respite in sight, has worsened the financial state of affairs within the area.”
