No
fewer than 112million Nigerians now live below poverty level as global
poor hits one billion mark. According to the latest poverty report by
the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, about 112 million Nigerians
(representing 67.1 per cent) of the country's total population of
167million.
Meanwhile as the
world yesterday marked International Day for Eradication of Poverty,
International Labour Organisatiion, ILO, has raised the alarm that
number of poor people in the world has hit the one billion mark.
In a statement to
mark the occasion, ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, said though Work
should be the best route out of poverty, but 327 million working men and
women live in extreme poverty and 967 million in moderate and near
poverty.
According to him:
"These figures, unacceptable as they are, do not relay the deep human
cost of poverty, which restricts access to the most fundamental of
needs. It robs individuals of their dignity and increases vulnerability
to hunger, physical and mental illness, human rights abuses and
exclusion. It is important
therefore that the theme of this year's International Day for the
Eradication of Poverty focuses on Moving from humiliation and exclusion
to participation: Ending poverty in all its forms "Humiliation and
exclusion are drivers of poverty, as well as consequences of it.
Discrimination,
whether based on gender, ethnicity, sexuality or other grounds can lead
to exclusion and restricts pathways out of poverty. Extreme natural
events and conflict can lead abruptly to the upheaval of lives and
increased vulnerability to exclusion and poverty.
We, all of us, have
the right to participate in society and enjoy the dignity it brings.
Access to decent work opportunities for all is the most effective way to
increase participation, lift people out of poverty, reduce inequality
and drive economic growth."
