Inflation, Subsidy Removal, And Insurgency Increase Poverty In North East – Analysts

Inflation, Subsidy Removal, And Insurgency Increase Poverty In North East – Analysts

Analysts have pinpointed inflation, subsidy removal, and insurgency as the primary catalysts driving child poverty, particularly in Nigeria’s North Eastern region…..READ ALSO Analysts Differ On Buhari’s Quest For Fresh N2.3tn External Loan

Dr. Yusuf Auta, a Social Policy Specialist with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Bauchi Field Office, highlighted these factors during a paper presentation on multidimensional child poverty in Adamawa, Gombe, and Bauchi States at a 2-day Media Dialogue held in Gombe State.

The dialogue, organized by UNICEF in collaboration with the Gombe and Bauchi governments, aims to address the pressing issue of child poverty in the North East.

Auta underscored additional contributors to child poverty, including unemployment, insufficient investment in social sectors, inadequate income, and soaring living expenses associated with child-rearing, such as housing, food, and fuel costs.

According to Auta, children in the region experience both dimensional and multidimensional poverty, affecting crucial areas like water, sanitation, housing, education, nutrition, healthcare, access to information, and child protection, as revealed in a 2021 situation analysis.

Dr. Ali Madina Dankumo from the Department of Economics and Development Studies at the Federal University Kashere in Gombe State echoed Auta’s sentiments, emphasizing the detrimental effects of poor governance on household heads, particularly concerning children’s healthcare.

Citing data from the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dankumo noted that as of 2022, 67 million children in Nigeria lack access to healthcare services.

He further highlighted how poverty impedes children’s access to quality education and limits their social mobility, ultimately contributing to crime and social unrest.

Recent reports from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in 2022 revealed the prevalence of child poverty, especially in rural areas, where nearly 90% of rural children experience poverty.

The child Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) indicates higher poverty rates in the northeast and northwest regions, where 90% of children live in poverty, compared to relatively lower rates in the southeast and southwest regions (74% and 65.1%, respectively).