Ladan Salihu, a prominent chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s worsening poverty crisis, warning that the government is failing to confront the issue with the seriousness it demands. He revealed that the number of Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty had reached alarming levels, with the northern region accounting for 87 million people and the southern region 47 million as of 2022.
In an interview from 7:22 with ARISE TV, Salihu criticized the federal government for its lack of transparency and urgency in addressing the poverty statistics released by the World Bank and the National Bureau of Statistics.
He said the figures are not fabricated but are credible data that reflect the harsh realities faced by millions of Nigerians. According to him, the poverty rate stood at 43% in 2014 and has since escalated significantly.
Salihu emphasized that a government that claims to be responsible must not ignore such critical data. He argued that the administration’s failure to acknowledge and act on these figures shows a disconnect from the suffering of ordinary citizens.
His words, “If I take you back to 2022, the number of multi-dimensionally poverty-stricken Nigerians is 87 million in the northern part of the country and 47 from the south. When you aggregate it, it’s 141 million. And yet, a government will not be sincere with Nigerians.” See More
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