Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), has called on Nigeria’s governing elite to tackle rising issues of poverty and insecurity in the country.
The AfDB president made the call at the 90th birthday celebration of former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon in Abuja.
Addressing the country’s rising levels of poverty and insecurity, Adesina stressed that the responsibility for Nigeria’s future cannot be ignored by its leaders, urging them to rise to the challenge of steering the nation toward prosperity.
Adesina pointed out that Nigeria is a “global powerhouse,” but its potential is being held back by systemic poverty and corruption.
Citing recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), he revealed that an alarming 63% of Nigerians, about 133 million people, are currently living in multidimensional poverty, which includes severe deprivation in areas such as sanitation, healthcare, food security, and housing.
The AfDB President expressed concern over the vast disparity between rural and urban poverty rates, with rural areas seeing 72% of the population classified as poor, compared to 42% in urban centres.
Even more worrying, Adesina highlighted, is the stark regional divide, with the northern part of Nigeria disproportionately affected.
He noted that as of 2022, 65% of the poor population resides in the North, with Sokoto State bearing the heaviest burden, where an astonishing 91% of the people are in poverty.
Adesina also linked the nation’s deepening poverty crisis to its escalating insecurity. He described the rise of a “criminal economy,” where banditry, kidnappings, and armed robberies have become rampant, particularly in the Northwest, Northeast, and North Central regions.
This wave of criminality, he said, is dismantling the real economy, leaving communities in despair and plunging economic activities into a downward spiral.
To address these urgent issues, Adesina proposed a comprehensive approach that starts with restoring security and the rule of law.
He called for immediate actions to protect lives and property, revive farmlands, and rebuild the shattered social fabric of towns and villages.
Alongside security measures, he emphasized the need for investments in education, healthcare, and youth employment as the foundation for a more prosperous future.
Additionally, Adesina called for decisive steps to tackle Nigeria’s growing out-of-school children problem, noting that providing access to education is essential for breaking the cycle of poverty and fostering long-term economic growth.
In closing, Adesina made a passionate plea for the country’s leaders to embrace their continental leadership role, reiterating that Nigeria’s position as a global powerhouse brings with it a responsibility that history will not allow them to evade.
“Only through coordinated, determined efforts can Nigeria overcome the dual crises of poverty and insecurity that threaten its future,” he stated.
