Adeyemi Adeniran, the statistician-general of the federation and CEO of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), has called on stakeholders to take immediate action to eradicate poverty in Nigeria. Speaking at a stakeholders’ technical dialogue on the ‘operationalisation of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) as a policy tool in Nigeria’ in Abuja on Thursday, Adeniran highlighted the urgent need for strategic interventions to address the country’s poverty crisis.

Results from the 2022 MPI survey revealed that 133 million Nigerians are living in multidimensional poverty, despite the country’s vast resources and potential for growth. Adeniran emphasized that poverty in Nigeria extends beyond income deprivation to include deficiencies in health, education, and living standards. He described it as a “daily struggle for clean water, adequate nutrition, safe housing, and quality education for all genders and demographics.”

Adeniran stressed the importance of leveraging the MPI report to guide strategic recommendations and lift millions out of poverty. He called for support from various stakeholders to turn these recommendations into reality, noting that the common fund basket used for the 2021-2022 MPI survey was empty, underscoring the need for adequate funding.

“The urgency we need to put in place programmes and projects to eradicate poverty is very urgent now. Every second we delay to tackle this poverty, another child loses their chance for a better life, and another family struggles to make ends meet,” Adeniran stated. He urged international donor agencies, development banks, philanthropists, business leaders, policymakers, and all Nigerians to invest in programmes that can transform vulnerability into strength and poverty into prosperity.

James Christoff, the Canadian high commissioner to Nigeria, also emphasized the importance of integrating a gender perspective into data collection as a crucial step in responding to poverty in the country.