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CHAPTER 4: GOAL 1—ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY AND<br />

HUNGER<br />

Introduction<br />

The MDG 1, Target 1 (<strong>to</strong> halve the proportion <strong>of</strong><br />

people who live on $1 or less per day between<br />

1990 and 2015) and Target 2 (<strong>to</strong> halve the<br />

proportion <strong>of</strong> people suffering from hunger<br />

between 1990 and 2015), provide insight in<strong>to</strong> the<br />

type <strong>of</strong> poverty and hunger we are dealing with in<br />

this report. The four indica<strong>to</strong>rs for MDG1 are:<br />

percentage <strong>of</strong> population living in relative poverty;<br />

percentage <strong>of</strong> population living in extreme poverty<br />

(consuming 2,900 calories or lower daily);<br />

percentage <strong>of</strong> population living below $1/day<br />

(purchasing power parity - PPP); and percentage<br />

<strong>of</strong> underweight children.<br />

National Context <strong>of</strong> Poverty and Hunger in<br />

<strong>Nigeria</strong><br />

The high prevalence <strong>of</strong> poverty in <strong>Nigeria</strong> is a<br />

major challenge for development <strong>of</strong> the country.<br />

The suffering <strong>of</strong> the poor in <strong>Nigeria</strong> is a very sharp<br />

contrast <strong>to</strong> the fact that the country is richly<br />

endowed with both human and material resources.<br />

Majority <strong>of</strong> the population <strong>of</strong> over 140 million<br />

people live in either extreme or relative poverty.<br />

The poor in <strong>Nigeria</strong> lack adequate food and basic<br />

amenities for good living.<br />

Data from the National Bureau <strong>of</strong> Statistics (NBS)<br />

shows that the incidence <strong>of</strong> poverty is higher in<br />

the northern part <strong>of</strong> <strong>Nigeria</strong> compared <strong>to</strong> the<br />

southern part. Generally, poverty is more<br />

prevalent in the rural areas <strong>of</strong> the country than in<br />

the urban areas. Paradoxically, the rural<br />

smallholder farmers–the people feeding the<br />

country–are among its poorest. These farmers<br />

wallow in poverty and live in a deplorable state<br />

while their efforts <strong>to</strong>wards food production are<br />

hindered by several fac<strong>to</strong>rs. However, as reported<br />

by the NBS, relative poverty is higher in the urban<br />

centres than in the rural parts <strong>of</strong> the country.<br />

There is also the educational dimension <strong>to</strong> poverty<br />

in <strong>Nigeria</strong>. The higher the educational attainments<br />

level, the lower the incidence <strong>of</strong> poverty. Poverty<br />

is concentrated among persons with no education<br />

and those with only primary education. 5<br />

Poverty and hunger go hand-in-hand and spread<br />

through the entire country due <strong>to</strong> unequal<br />

distribution <strong>of</strong> income and high rate <strong>of</strong><br />

unemployment. Unemployment has become an<br />

endemic and almost permanent feature <strong>of</strong> the<br />

<strong>Nigeria</strong>n economy. Various surveys by the<br />

National Bureau <strong>of</strong> Statistics show that the<br />

unemployed constitute a critical component <strong>of</strong> the<br />

core poor.<br />

Accurate estimate <strong>of</strong> poverty and hunger is elusive<br />

in <strong>Nigeria</strong> as a result <strong>of</strong> difficulties with household<br />

data collection. Consequently assessments <strong>of</strong><br />

5 See Aigbokhan B. (2008) UNECA Unpublished Paper, Addis Ababa,<br />

Ethiopia<br />

Page 14 <strong>of</strong> 150

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