While the country earns billions of US dollars yearly from oil export and while a few men would sit at a hotel room in Hilton and share billions of dollars belonging to the people, a report unveiled yesterday by the United Nations Development Programme, in partnership with Oxfam Nigeria, shows that 46% of households in Nigeria’s North-East borrow money to feed. And another 61% of residents in the region lack access to portable water.
The UNDP said, “One economically active member of a household sustains 2.3 non-active members, while a majority of them do not have sufficient food supply. The average income per household per month is $60 and they spend on the average, 42 per cent of their income on food, 26 per cent on education and health services, eight per cent on paying debts, and six per cent on firewood.
“In addition, 46 per cent borrow money to buy food, 41 per cent rely on alternative health care, 21 per cent have migrated to other locations, while 20 per cent send their children out to work and beg. Income from skilled labour dropped from 21 per cent before the crisis in the region to five per cent.
“Twenty three per cent of the households are headed by women and 14 per cent are widows, 40 per cent of women are pregnant and/or lactating, 11 per cent support a member with a mental or physical disability, while 21 per cent include, at least, one member with a chronic illness.”
The UNDP’s Resident Representative and Country Director, Lamin Beyai is of the view that the impact of the conflict in North-East over the years had resulted in a humanitarian crisis.
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