Not less than 86.13 million accounting for 65% of the total 133 million who are multidimensionally poor live in the north, while nearly 47 million (35%) are in southern Nigeria, according to Nigeria Multidimensional Poverty Index (2022).
Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) measures the percentage of households deprived along three dimensions — monetary poverty, education, and basic infrastructure services — to capture a concise picture of poverty.
MPI explained that the distribution of the poor northerners that made up the figure also varies from one senatorial zone to another. Due to its population, North West has the highest number with 45.5 million (53%) of the entire poorest populace in the north. North Central and North East share proportionally the remaining 47%, having 20.19 and 20.47 respectively.
Similarly, the population disparities among the northern states make the distribution of poor people different across the states as well.
Kano State, which is the most populous state in the region, has a higher number of poor people than other states. It has over 10.5 million people living in multidimensional poverty. Kano is followed by Kaduna and Sokoto, with 8.0 million and 5.8 million, respectively.
The report revealed that over half of the population who are multidimensionally poor cook with dung, wood or charcoal, rather than cleaner energy. It further revealed that high deprivations are also apparent in sanitation, healthcare, food insecurity, and housing.
OUT OF THE 10 POOREST SENATORIAL DISTRICTS, NINE ARE IN NORTH
Nine of the 10 poorest senatorial districts in Nigeria are all from the northern regions. Sokoto State has the largest number of senatorial districts with Sokoto South having 2.1 million poor people, followed by Sokoto North and Sokoto East, each with 1.9 million poor people.
Subsidy Removal Worsens Inter-state Trips in Northern States
Apart from one district in the south (Bayelsa West), all the nine poorest senatorial districts are from the north. They include Kebbi South, Jigawa North/East, Yobe South, Sokoto North, Borno North, Sokoto East, Sokoto South, Gombe Central and Taraba North.
Multidimensional poverty is higher in rural areas, where 72% of people are poor, compared to 42% of people in urban areas. Approximately 70% of Nigeria’s population lives in rural areas, and 30% in urban areas, the report said.
