The Poor Amid Plenty in Nigeria

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Introduction
Nigeria, popularly known as the Giant of Africa is a nation located in the western part of Africa along the Atlantic Ocean's Gulf of Guinea. Its land boundary is with Benin to the west, Chad and Cameroon to the eastern part and Niger to the northern side. Nigeria's main indigenous groups are Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. It is the most populous country in Africa, with a current population growth rate of 2.7% and an estimated population of about 175 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Nigeria has one of the world’s highest economic growth rate, averaging over 7% over the last decade (World Bank 6). Evidently, there has been too much emphasis laid on economic growth in Nigeria which is clearly mistaken for economic development, as a result there has been minimal or no welfare improvements for much of the population and poverty has been a significant confrontation to the Nigerian people. Its consequence, which comprises lack and deficiency in the basic requirements of life, is disturbing. The growth of the Nigerian economy is projected to continue growing, however poverty is still likely to get worse as the economic gap continues to widen. It remains a paradox, however, that despite the fact that the Nigerian economy is growing, the proportion of Nigerians living in poverty is increasing every year (Kale).
Poverty, as defined by the World Bank is the inability to attain a minimal standard of living (26). It can also be defined as a refusal of opportunities and choices, an abuse of human dignity. In Nigeria, severe and widespread poverty is an actuality that shows a lack of clothes, food, education and other important amenities. Several poor people in Nigeria need the most basic requirements of life to a de...

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Works Cited

Achebe, Chinua. The Trouble with Nigeria. London: Heinemann Educational, 1984. Print.
Bastos, Amélia, Sara F. Casaca, Francisco Nunes, and José Pereirinha. "Women and Poverty: A Gender-sensitive Approach." The Journal of Socio-Economics 38.5 (2009): 764-78. Print.
Kale, Yemi. "112.5 Million Nigerians Live in Poverty –NBS." The Punch. Ifeanyi Onuba, 14 Feb. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.
National Bureau of Statistics. Social Statistics in Nigeria 2012. By Yemi Kale. Vol. 3. Abuja: NBS, 2013. National Bureau of Statistics. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
United Nations (1995) The Report of the World Summit for Social Development and Programme of Action. Copenhagen. 16-12 March.
World Bank. "Nigeria Economic Report." OKR: Home. Washington DC, 14 May 2013. Web. 01 Mar. 2014
-- "World Development Report 1990: Poverty." OKR: Home. World Bank, 1990. Web. 01 Mar. 2014.

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