Monday, November 26, 2018

Nigeria goes to the polls.

"The politicians have failed us. I feel like all those elected into office only care about themselves. They only want our votes and don't provide us with the basic needs we demand for."
"Life is difficult. The little money I make is never enough. I have to feed my family from the food I sell, I can't afford to buy them other food."
According to a report in June by the Brookings Institution, a Washington, DC-based think-tank, Nigeria has overtaken India as the world's poverty capital.
The study estimated that 87 million people in a country of nearly 200 million were living in extreme poverty, compared with 73 million people in India.
The report also projected an increase in extreme poverty in Nigeria - Africa's leading oil producer and most populous nation - until at least 2022.
According to a 2018 African Development Bank report, "nearly 80 percent of Nigeria's 190 million people live on less than $2 a day".
Another major concern is corruption, an issue that has long plagued Nigeria due to public officials feasting on funds generated from crude oil exports. Last year, Nigeria ranked 148th out of 180 countries on Transparency International's corruption index.
The country produces more than two million oil barrels per day and holds one of the world's largest gas reserves, but can barely produce electricity to power many of its households and factories. The shortage is also pushing the price of goods up, as they are mostly produced by manufacturing firms running on costly diesel-powered generators.

No comments: