SPOTLIGHTS
- The MPI shows that over half of the Nigerian population lacks access to basic needs, including cooking fuel, sanitation, and healthcare
- The NBS emphasises the importance of moving beyond data collection to implement targeted interventions based on MPI findings
- The government is committed to using the MPI to guide resource allocation and policy development to address poverty effectively
From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Six months ahead of the 2025 budget planning and implementation of government policies, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has advocated for the operationalisation of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) across national and sub-national governments.
In November 2022, the NBS reported that 133 million out of over 200 million Nigerians experience multidimensional poverty, facing deprivations in multiple areas or at least 26% of weighted indicators, as highlighted in the National Multidimensional Poverty Index (NMPI) launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja in 2022.
The NMPI reveals that over half of the population lacks access to essential amenities like cooking fuel. Significant deprivations are also prevalent in sanitation, healthcare, food security, and housing.
During a stakeholders’ dialogue on operationalising the MPI in Abuja, the Statistician General of the Federation (SG), Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, emphasised that the dialogue aimed to equip policymakers with the necessary tools to effectively address multidimensional poverty.
“The primary objective of the survey was to establish a robust poverty database to inform evidence-based policies and programs for short, medium, and long-term interventions… For us at NBS, and by extension the National Statistical System (NSS), operationalising the MPI is certainly a welcome development and one that is well overdue. This means going beyond making the necessary data and evidence available, to designing targeted programs and policies to address the issues identified within the data. Only when these two things align (the data and the interventions) that we will begin to see meaningful and sustainable changes in the lives of the citizens confronted with poverty,” he said.
Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, expressed concern over the persistence of multidimensional poverty despite government efforts.
“Our nation faces unique challenges in addressing poverty considering our diverse population and regions…The Nigeria MPI brings many concerns together into one headline measure and focuses on people who are being left behind in multiple SDGs at the same time… The government will continue to support the implementation of the MPI through the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS) and the implementation of the 8-Priority Areas of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR Administration,” he stated.
Princess Adejoke Orelope Adefulire, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), called for collaboration between state and non-state actors to implement the SDGs, emphasising the importance of partnerships in achieving the transformative goals of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.