…Osun records lowest incidence of poverty at 17.5%
The Situation Analysis (SitAn) of Children in Nigeria Report has identified some of the reasons why 53.9 per cent of children in the country are multi-dimensionally poor.
The report, launched during the 2024 World Children’s Day celebration on Nov. 20, is a policy document prepared by the Federal Government with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to identify and understand specific child issues.
According to the report, corruption, unemployment, lack of political will, violence and insurgency and inadequate investment in social sectors play significant roles in making Nigerian children poor.
It added that displacement and resettlement place additional pressure on existing resources, further exacerbating child poverty in Nigeria.
The report defined child poverty as “a situation where children experience deprivation of the material, spiritual and emotional resources needed to stay alive, develop and thrive, thus leaving them unable to enjoy their rights, achieve their full potential and participate as full and equal members of society.”
It stated that the seven poverty indicators for children are: health, water, sanitation, nutrition, shelter, education and information.
Explaining the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) analysis, the report noted that across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), disparities exist in the multi-dimensional poverty of children.
It added that “in Osun State, the incidence of poverty was lowest at 17.5 per cent, incidence of deprivation was 35.5 per cent and the Human Development Index (HDI) ranking was 14th in Nigeria.
“In Sokoto State, the incidence of poverty was very high at 89.9 per cent, incidence of deprivation was 50.4 per cent and the HDI ranking was 37 per cent.
“In Lagos State, poverty incidence was 27.8 per cent, incidence of deprivation was 36.8 per cent, while the HDI ranking was one per cent.”
The report indicated that when disaggregated by rural and urban, 29.7 per cent of urban children were multi-dimensionally poor against 65.7 per cent of rural children.
It added that children living in Sokoto State 80.4 per cent, Kebbi 74.9 per cent and Zamfara 74 per cent were worse off, experiencing the highest multidimensional deprivation.
“On the other hand, less than 20 per cent of children living in Edo (19 per cent) and Lagos.
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