Nigeria’s rising poverty scourge
It is deplorable that Nigeria has continued to fall deeper into the trap of poverty despite measures to reduce it. Ironically, the country is blessed with enormous human and material resources. According to the 2026 Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), an additional 17.9 million Nigerians fell into multidimensional poverty between 2021 and 2024. This made it the largest increase recorded by any country globally.
22nd October 2026