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UN Report Paints Blissful Picture Of Nigeria’s Economy -Economist
A United Nations (UN) report released recently on Nigeria’s Common Country Analysis (CCA), has revealed a deeply alienated society based on the plurality of ethnic, religious and regional identities that had tended to label the country’s political existence.
Fielding questions from journalist, in Port Harcourt, Saturday on the future of Nigeria and other issues, a renowned economist and teacher at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Dr. Catherine Ogubor stated that the report which was read during a consultative conference on the formulation of the UN Development Assistance Framework IV (UNDAF IV) for the South -East geo-political zone in Awka, Anambra State, observed that for decades, various segments of Nigeria’s population had at different times expressed feelings of marginalization, of being short changed, oppressed, threatened, dominated, or even targeted for elimination.
The report, according Ogubor, also painted a dismal picture, with most of the social indices and development in the country recording much below acceptable standards.
The report which read thus, “Nigeria, with a population of over 175 million, is the most populous in Africa and the seventh most populous in the world. Her population will be approximately 200 million by 2019 and over 400 million by 2030, becoming one of the top five most populous countries in the world.
“Nigeria is one of the poorest and most unequal countries in the world, with over 80 million or 64 per cent of her population living below poverty line. The situation has not changed over the decades, but increasing poverty and hunger have remained high in rural areas, remote communities and among female-headed households and these cut across the six geo-political zones, with prevalence ranging from approximately 46.9 per cent in the South-West to 74.3 per cent in the North-West and North-East.
“In Nigeria, 37 per cent of children under five years old were stunted, 18 per cent wasted, 29 per cent underweight and overall, only 10 per cent of children aged 6-23 months are fed approximately based on recommended infant and young children feeding practices. “Youth unemployment which is 42 per cent in 2016 is very high, creating poverty, helplessness and despair and easy target from crime and terrorism. Over 10 million children of school age were out of school with no knowledge and skill”, she said.
As she puts it, “Nigeria’s economy in the report is currently in a recession and it is estimated that government revenues have fallen by as much as 33 per cent, which has further political existence need to be proactively strengthen for enduring future.”
She, however, said that since independence in 1960, Nigeria has struggled to build and sustain national integration, stressing that the report equally recommended that transforming and diversifying Nigeria’s development paths needed a radical and new approach, especially by investing in people and in a viable state for prosperous economy for the country.
Ogubor also called on Nigerian leaders, politicians and other stakeholders to design and support the joint programmes of government and the United Nations to address good governance, peace and security in the country.