Poverty

**__Return to Public Policy in Nigeria__**

Quick View of Life in Nigeria

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The actual information of this video isn't as relevant to poverty, but reveals the conditions these children are forced to live in.

Current Policies

The Nigerian Government has done very little to solve the pressing issue of poverty. You would assume that a country with such large amounts of oil would have very low poverty rate and in turn a highly developed society, but Nigeria consistently ranks as one of the lowest countries in the Human Development Index (159 out of 177). Almost all the money the country makes through oil sales is put into the hands of corrupt politicians; little of it is put into the betterment of the society. This characteristic makes Nigeria a rentier state, as the majority of its funds come from oil (85%), with much of this money being lost to corruption.

Nigeria HDI level is between 0.450 and 0.499

The Nigerian government endorses the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS). NEEDS is comprised of members who play a large role in the Nigerian economy, including heads of government ministries and unions, and presidents of companies. It is important to note that NEEDS is owned by the Nigerian citizens and not funded by the government. The goals of NEEDS are: poverty reduction, wealth creation, employment generation, and value re-orientation. NEEDS seeks to alert the government to the best strategies to meet these goals. NEEDS has helped to boost Nigeria's economy, which in turn reduces poverty.

Nigeria's economic growth from 2005-2008 and projections for 2009



Public Opinion

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 Opinions on Nigerian Power

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The Nigerian people are not content with the current economic situation and many Nigerians associate it with corruption in the government. Besides the massive corruption issue there are also problems concerning the knowledge of politicians. Many of the politicians think they have the perfect ideas to fix poverty in their country, but few have them have ever experienced poverty. There is an interesting excerpt from a book written by a Nigerian author about Nigeria's issue with poverty where he explains this government ignorance ([]). One of the more interesting quotes from this excerpt is "Only the poor understand poverty and it is also the poor that knows how their poverty could be alleviated. A sick man knows where it hurts him". This Nigerian author believes that the government should seek solutions to the problem by requesting input from those affected.

There is not much information on parties' opinions on poverty. This could be attributed to the fact that poverty it self is a tender subject and parties do not want to make promises about anything they believe they might not be able to solve. Also, Ribadu of the ACN has made bold plans for fixing Nigeria's power problems. Of the Nigeria's leading parties, the PDP, seems to making the biggest impact in the fight poverty. The PDP understands the need to reduce poverty in Nigeria, in 2005 president Obasanjo launched Nigeria's first National health insurance scheme, intending to bring basic health care to every Nigerian.
 * Party Opinions **



Implications of Policy
 * Overall, the Nigerian government needs to more directly address the issue of poverty, but with a program like NEEDS and the legislation it helps to stimulate there are good signs of a decreasing poverty level in the coming decades for Nigeria. Nigeria must understand that poverty will not just leave the country; they will have to work to lower its level in society. One of the biggest things Nigeria need to ensure in the coming years is stability. The main reason for so much poverty in Nigeria in the first place is the lack of stability in the government. If the government remains stable, corruption will naturally seep out by way of elections and new politicians arriving on the scene. As less funds are siphoned into private bank accounts, they can be funneled to support the ambitious policies of a new generations of youthful reformers. **