Nigeria has been so associated with poverty that the word has almost lost its true meaning for many Nigerians. It seems that the word has even become a national decorative muse with which the country competes for international poverty relief funds.
Poverty has also been extensively abused in Nigeria’s political circle. Consistently, the word has sat in the core of many manifestoes across the span of Nigeria’s democracy. There is even a possibility that Nigeria would first be associated as the world’s poverty capital than with Abuja, the country’s administrative capital!
Successive economic plans have been positioned to address the poverty challenge in the country. For instance, in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan of 2017, specific strategies on poverty reduction were designed. Similarly, the recent National Economic Sustainability Plan has aspects that bother on poverty reduction.
However, the growth of Nigeria’s multi-faceted poverty questions the practicality or adequacies of economic plans either in conception or implementation. There is a possibility that lack of understanding of the true meaning of poverty in Nigeria has limited the success of intervention measures. This could have as well impact on the commitment of the political class to true poverty reduction. After all, from the elevated balconies of government villas and reservation areas, there might be some obscurity on the true state of valleys and plains across the country.
The 2019 General Household Survey (Wave 4) provides a representation of collective poverty in Nigeria. While the report may not fully describe the pain of individual poverty, it provided a communal and regional perspective. Based on different measurement indicators, the report highlighted the series of material and non-material deprivations in the country.
By housing characteristics, the report revealed that quite some Nigerians still reside in houses that are below average. At least 11.9 percent of Nigerian households live in mud houses. As much as 77 percent of households in the northwest live in mud houses. The figure is 69.2 percent in the northeast, 45.8 percent in the North-central and significantly lower in the southern parts of the country. The survey also indicated that some Nigerian households still live in houses whose roofs are made of thatches and mud or sand floor finishes.
Housing Characteristics across Geopolitical Zone
| Geo-political Zone | Mud wall (%) | Thatch roofs occupants (%) | Floor finish-sand/dirt/straw (%) | Floor finish-smoothed mud (%) |
| North Central | 45.8 | 18.1 | 5.4 | 14 |
| North East | 69.2 | 20.1 | 12.8 | 23.5 |
| North West | 77 | 11.4 | 25.8 | 18.4 |
| South East | 11.9 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 6.7 |
| South South | 16.6 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 8 |
| South West | 22 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 8.2 |
Over 43 percent of Nigerian households cooked with open fire as at the time the survey was conducted. The percentage for open fire cooking was highest on the northwest (65.9 percent) and lowest in the southwest (21.2 percent). 44.6 percent of the households surveyed had no access to electricity between 2018 and 2019. This is outside the inconsistencies of power supply among those who supposedly have access to electricity.
Energy Options for Nigerians Across Geopolitical Zones
| Geo-Political Zone | Three-Stone/Open Fire Cooking (%) | No Electricity (%) |
| North Central | 56.7 | 47 |
| North East | 50.3 | 79.1 |
| North West | 65.9 | 59.7 |
| South East | 25.8 | 28.6 |
| South South | 34.3 | 27.2 |
| South West | 21.2 | 32.7 |
Further, many households lack access to improved sanitation options and proper waste disposal. 26.3 percent of Nigerian households have no toilet. In northcentral Nigeria, as much as 50.2 percent of the households lack a decent toilet facility. This has contributed to the high record of open defecation in the country and one in four Nigerians practice open defecation. Dumping is the most common waste disposal method in the country. On average, 59.3 percent of Nigerians dispose of waste informally. On a regional basis, informal waste disposal range between 47 percent and 80.1 percent.
Sanitation and Waste Disposal Among Nigerian Households
| Geopolitical Zone | No toilet facility, bush, or field | Informal waste disposal |
| North Central | 50.2 | 80.1 |
| North East | 13.7 | 58 |
| North West | 14.8 | 47 |
| South East | 23.6 | 57.9 |
| South South | 24.4 | 60.6 |
| South West | 33.1 | 57.7 |
Possession of basic household items such as radios and televisions also reflect the extent of poverty in Nigeria. Over 51 percent of Nigerian households lack a radio. About 55 percent of the households do not have a television set. The distribution of household assets across the geopolitical zones of Nigeria is as shown below.
Possession of Household Assets Across Geopolitical Zone
| Geopolitical Zone | Radio | TV |
| North Central | 45.1 | 46.1 |
| North East | 49.3 | 13.5 |
| North West | 58.9 | 23.5 |
| South East | 51.7 | 62 |
| South South | 35.7 | 65.5 |
| South West | 48.1 | 56.7 |
A manifestation of poverty in Nigeria is in food security. As much as 56 percent of households in southeastern Nigeria expressed worry about not having enough food due to lack of money. Some skipped meals while others restricted consumption to provide for food for their children. Food shortage among households across geopolitical zones ranged between 16.6 percent and 43.1 percent.
Food Security among Households across the Geopolitical Zones of Nigeria
| Geopolitical Zone | Worried about not having enough food to eat because of lack of money | Had to skip a meal because of lack of money | Restricted Consumption for children to eat | HH faced food shortage in the last 12 months |
| North Central | 16.2 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 16.6 |
| North East | 29.3 | 25.5 | 20 | 31.2 |
| North West | 19.3 | 12.3 | 11.6 | 25.9 |
| South East | 56 | 47 | 31.2 | 42.8 |
| South South | 55.9 | 45.9 | 30.8 | 43.1 |
| South West | 46.7 | 28.5 | 17.1 | 30.8 |
Summarily, the General Household Survey Report revealed the extent of deprivation in the country. It also indicated the distribution of poverty and deprivation in the country. It is therefore important that poverty reduction interventions are framed to address specific needs. Also, the geospatial differences in levels of deprivation suggest the need to adopt different strategies to address the different manifestation of poverty across the country. Besides, there is need for more political will to address the challenge of poverty in Nigeria.