COVID-19 May Drag 10 Million Nigerians Into Poverty-Minister

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Farouq has said that the impact of COVID-19 may drag ten million more Nigerians into poverty by the end of this year.

Statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics, showed that 82.9 million Nigerians are living below the poverty line as at 2019.

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It is believed that the figure might have increased due to economic hardship caused by the outbreak of Corona-virus.

The minister, who spoke in Abuja at the ministerial dialogue on the National Social Register, noted that 26.8 million poor and vulnerable individuals, which is equivalent to about 6.3 million households, have been captured.

She said: “In 2019, the National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 40.2 per cent equivalent to 82.9 million Nigerians live below the poverty line on less than $1.9, and another 10 million were expected to fall below poverty as a result of the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 by the end of the year.”

On the number of people on the register, she said as of January 31, 2021, out of the estimated 82.9 million (40.2 per cent) Nigerians living below the poverty line, the ministry has identified and registered 26.8 million poor and vulnerable individuals, equivalent to about 6.3 million households in our country.

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She added, “We are expecting another 20 million to be added to the database and held in the Rapid Response Register; a shock responsive intervention register, specifically targeted at urban informal workers impacted by the current COVID-19 pandemic.”


On the extent of coverage of the register, Farouq said: “The social register has coverage across the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT. We are in 601 local government areas (LGAs) out of the 774 LGAs in Nigeria.

“We have covered 7,320 wards and 72,363 communities. This structure automatically provides the biggest database for any social inclusion or social protection intervention.”

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