The Coalition of United Parties (CUPP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to address poverty currently facing Nigerians. According to the National Secretary of the coalition, Peter Ameh, disclosed that Nigeria is facing a grave humanitarian and economic crisis.
Ameh added that Nigeria currently has the highest number of malnourished children in Africa and the second highest globally. Ameh, who revealed this in Lokoja today, noted that the statistics paint a bleak picture of poverty’s grasp in Nigeria.
The executive stated that the numbers were compounded by the World Bank in its quarterly report. According to the report, over 54 percent of Nigeria’s citizens (120 million people) are struggling to survive in abject poverty. He continued that the figure reflects a substantial increase of 42 million people since 2018/19 when it was 30.9 percent.
According to him, the crisis excessively affects children with 72.5 percent of children aged 0-14 living in poverty. Ameh also disclosed the impact it has on education as 79.5 percent of Nigerians are without formal education.
The national secretary described the crisis as structural, noting the country’s reliance on oil export as the root behind the issue. Ameh expressed that this dependence has made the economy vulnerable to global price fluctuations as sustained inflation declines purchasing power.
He continued that issues like unemployment, and underdevelopment in the education sector, among others are a result of poverty. Ameh added that the government’s response to these issues has been poor despite the severity of the situation in the country.
The national secretary expressed that the records by the World Bank should be an eye-opener for urgent intervention in the crisis. Ameh emphasized that rural areas where basic services like healthcare, and education, are needed, should be targeted for sustainable development.
The national director therefore urge Tinubu not to give excuses but to take action to restore hope and dignity to Nigeria. He concluded that by addressing structural insufficiencies, there will be regenerative and balanced development in the country.
