Tag Archive for: Poverty In Nigeria

Posts

Movies, Music and Tech: How the Media Misrepresents Nigeria

How the Media Misrepresents NigeriaAs Africa’s most populous country, with roughly 186 million people, Nigeria is a driving force in Africa’s overall economy. In recent years, the country has surfaced in the mainstream Western media, mainly relating to reports about multiple terrorist attacks committed by Boko Haram as well as reports on extreme poverty in the nation. 

Due to news reports highlighting Nigeria’s plights, positive news is often overshadowed, news that sheds light on the innovation that is happening in the nation. As a result, what may not be as commonly known is how the media misrepresents Nigeria.

Planned Changes Ahead

The current president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has established a plan to fuel economic growth. The government has established the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, which address and proposes initiatives to resolve economic issues within Nigeria.

According to the plan, which includes the National Industrial Revolution Plan, the government plans to focus “on priority sectors to generate jobs, promote growth and upgrade skills to create 1.5 million jobs by 2020.” It is predicted that President Buhari’s plan is expected “to reduce unemployment from 13.9 percent as of Q3 2016 to 11.23 percent by 2020.”

The rampant reports of violence in the nation often overshadow the president’s plan to reverse economic plights and is an example of how the media misrepresents Nigeria.

The Media Misrepresents Nigeria by Ignoring Its Growing Industries

Civil conflicts have overshadowed Nigeria’s multiple booming industries that are captivating audiences abroad, and this serves as another example of how the media misrepresents Nigeria. The following industries are bringing Nigeria’s domestic talent to the limelight, creating the potential for the nation’s economy to transform dramatically over time. 

Nollywood

As of 2009, Nigeria’s film industry has grown to become the second largest film industry in the world, behind Bollywood, India’s film industry. The industry has a valuation of $3.3 billion and produced 1,844 films in 2013. As the nation continues to develop, the film industry is only expected to grow over time.

Nigeria’s Music Industry

Nigeria has a thriving music industry, with big names in music seeing success abroad. Afrobeats, as it is commonly referred to, is a niche of West African music that has made its artists into stars overseas. Even domestically, Nigeria’s music scene is a promising sector for the nation to continue to improve its economy. In 2015 alone, the nation’s music industry generated an estimated $56 million, and domestic revenues from music are expected to increase over time.

A Booming Tech Industry

Over the past few years, Nigeria has seen growth in its tech industry, with its startups becoming successful and gaining attention from big-time investors. Nigeria’s tech industry is known as Africa’s “most valuable ecosystem” and is the founding place for many notable startups, including Andela, iROKO and Flutterwave. In 2016, the nation attracted more investments than any other startup ecosystem in Africa, with $109.37 million raised from investments.

With the nation being a leader in innovation in Africa, it is expected that in the forthcoming years Nigeria will become more of a global presence, shedding more light on the great things that are happening in the nation.

 – Lois Charm

Photo: Flickr

, ,

Nine Important Initiatives Working to End Lassa Fever in Nigeria

working to end Lassa fever in NigeriaLassa fever is a growing epidemic for many Nigerians. The World Health Organization reports that 72 Nigerians have died from the disease while 317 others are infected. Lassa fever has also spread to 18 Nigerian states since its outbreak in January. However, many entities are working to end Lassa fever in Nigeria.

  1. ALIMA Treats Lassa Fever Patients
    In January 2018, the Alliance for International Medication Action (ALIMA) commenced a rapid emergency response to Nigeria’s Lassa fever epidemic. ALIMA also supported the rehabilitation of a 38-bed treatment center for patients in Owo.
    “The goal is to catch cases early, and improve the chances of survival for those who become infected,” said Guillaume Le Duc, ALIMA’s Lassa fever coordinator.
  2. The Cross River’s Sensitization Against Lassa Fever
    On Jan. 30, 2018, Nigeria’s Cross River state increased its sensitization and awareness campaign against Lassa fever, hoping to prevent further outbreaks of the disease. Dr. Inyang Asibong, Cross River’s commissioner for health, said the campaign was necessary since two cases of Lassa fever were recorded from migrants who entered Cross River. Asibong also gave nose masks, disposable gowns, gloves and other protective equipment to the state’s health workers.
  3. Gombe’s Investment to Prevent Lassa Fever
    On Jan. 31, 2018, Nigeria’s Gombe state earmarked ₦20 million for preventing the outbreak of Lassa fever to its people. Dr. Kennedy Ishaya, Gombe’s state commissioner for health, said the funds were part of the amount set aside for Gombe’s Rapid Response Committee (RRC). Gombe’s RRC will use the money to protect the state’s people from Lassa fever and other diseases.
  4. Hand Washing Helps Prevent Lassa Fever
    On Feb. 5, 2018, UNICEF and the Imo state’s Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) sensitized Nigerians on how handwashing can prevent Lassa fever.
    “Medical reports have it that the simple act of washing hands constantly with soap can reduce infections by 50 percent,” said Nkechi Okorocha, wife of the Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha. Chika Edom, the RUWASSA program manager, said that hand washing is part of UNICEF’s initiative to keep Nigeria’s people alive and healthy.
  5. Nigeria’s Proposal for a More Established CDC
    On Feb. 8, 2018, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) asked the National Assembly to pass a bill that would financially help the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) treat Lassa fever cases. Dr. Mike Ogirima, the NMA president, was displeased from poorly-equipped ambulances transferring Lassa fever patients to the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Edo. Though the bill went through first and second readings at the house level, it has yet to be passed into law.
  6. The World Health Organization Works to Contain Lassa Fever
    On Feb. 20, 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced it was working to end Lassa fever in Nigeria. The WHO deployed staff to support Nigeria’s government agencies. The WHO’s representatives are also helping rapid response teams contain Lassa fever in the Ondo, Ebonyi and Edo states.
  7. Redeemer University Could Eliminate Lassa Fever
    On Feb. 20, 2018, Redeemer University revealed its capacity to contain and eliminate Lassa fever through research activities.
    “We are behind the scene, providing solutions to Lassa fever in the country,” said Debo Adeyewa, the university’s vice-chancellor. Adeyewa also revealed that the Lassa fever outbreak was being managed at the Edo state’s Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital.
  8. Governor Obaseki’s Work to Contain Lassa Fever
    On Feb. 22, 2018, Governor Godwin Obaseki said that no case of Lassa fever had been reported at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital for the past two weeks. Governor Obaseki’s administration purchased and deployed equipment to the hospital and is working to end Lassa fever in Nigeria.
    “That no death has been recorded since our intervention goes to show that we read the signs correctly, mobilized skilled manpower and tackled the challenge head-on,” said Crusoe Osagie, Obaseki’s special adviser on media and communication strategy.
  9. The U.K.’s Work for Nigeria
    On Feb. 27, 2018, the U.K. sent two epidemiologists, a logistician and other experts to help Nigeria contain its Lassa fever outbreak. The U.K.’s public health rapid support team will also provide Nigeria with research assistance.
    “Viruses like Lassa Fever do not respect borders, and it is only right that we share our expertise with countries facing serious outbreaks around the world,” said Public Health Minister Steve Brine.

While many Nigerians continue to be infected with Lassa fever, efforts to treat and save patients’ lives will not stop. The World Health Organization, the U.K. and other entities are working to end Lassa fever in Nigeria and could inspire more parties to help. Supplying the country’s hospitals with necessary medical equipment to treat patients will also play a role in helping Nigeria control Lassa fever and other diseases.

– Rhondjé Singh Tanwar

Photo: Flickr

Top 10 Facts About Poverty in Nigeria

facts about poverty in Nigeria
Nigeria is known for having one of the more affluent economies in Africa; a large oil drilling industry ensures that the country always has a consistent revenue stream. But the lives of people in Nigeria reflect poverty rather than affluence —  here are the top 10 facts about poverty in Nigeria:

The Top 10 Facts About Poverty in Nigeria

  1. According to Nigeria’s Special adviser to the President on Social Protection, poverty in Nigeria affects an estimated 67 percent of the population. That’s 124,620,000 people who live without sufficient means to support themselves or their families.
  2. Nigeria has a current Gross Domestic Product (GDP) worth of $405.10 billion, and represents more than half a percent of the world economy. Its main industry is oil, which contributes to poverty in Nigeria and ruins water sources due to constant oil spills.
  3.  In addition to the Nigerian economy being on the rise, the figure for citizens living in absolute poverty has also risen 12.3 percent from 54.7 percent in 2004. “Despite the fact that the Nigerian economy is growing, the proportion of Nigerians living in poverty is increasing every year” said the head of Nigeria’ Bureau of Statistics, Yemi Kale.
  4. Nigeria’s Bureau of Public Service Reform urged attention to a housing shortage in the country that left over 108 million Nigerians homeless. There are 100,000 houses built yearly in the country, but with hundreds of million homeless and living in poverty, this is insufficient to support the nation’s needs.
  5. While facts about poverty in Nigeria illustrate how the country makes most of its money from its oil sector, the nation has unfortunately become overly-dependent on this single industry. Due to this reliance, other areas of the economy that host a majority of available jobs — agriculture, palm oil production and coconut processing — are in decline.
  6. Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, states that the government understands this problem and is gearing up to provide 300,000 new jobs for young people in 2018. He said that by ensuring a higher percentage of the population works, Nigeria will counter both poverty and violent extremism. Mohammed said, “The N-Power program of the government has deployed over 200,000 young Nigerians to schools, primary healthcare centers and agriculture centers.”
  7. The World Food Programme (WFP) has spent over $126 million on food aid for Nigerians. The WFP has also helped 1.1 million food-insecure north-eastern Nigerians. Due to a lack of means and money, 5 million Nigerians were hungry at the beginning of 2017; but by the end of 2017, that number was reduced to 2.5 million.
  8. According to a report by UNICEF, an unacceptable majority of households in Nigeria drink contaminated water. Although 64.1 percent of Nigerians have access to improved drinking water sources, 90.8 percent of Nigerian households drink water contaminated with feces and other substances like E-coli.
  9. Nigeria has one of the fastest growing populations in the world due to a lack of family planning and an influx of refugees. The Catholic Church in Nigeria says the continued entry of refugees from Cameroon has worsened the poverty situation in Nigeria. According to Caritas Nigeria, poor areas were being overburdened by the significant amount of Cameroonians fleeing war in their home country.
  10. Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) found that poverty was most apparent in the north of Nigeria, with certain northern states having a poverty rate near 86 percent. The NBS also found that Nigerians consider themselves to be getting poorer.

The Need for Diversification

These facts about poverty in Nigeria make one thing clear: the nation needs to diversify its economy and prepare its younger generation by emphasizing education. The high level of homelessness and poverty is a stark contrast to the country’s relative affluence; although statistics show that poverty in Nigeria is on the decline, the progress is sluggish. In the meantime, upwards of a hundred million people undertake a day-to-day struggle to scrape by.

– Sam Bramlett

Photo: Flickr

Credit Access in Nigeria Growing as Obstacles Are Addressed

Credit Access in NigeriaNigeria is a business-oriented economy, with an estimated 37 million micro, small and medium-sized companies (MSMEs). The entrepreneurial economy contributes roughly 48 percent of the country’s gross domestic product and employs over 60 million people, making Nigeria the largest economy in the sub-Saharan region.

Although these numbers look promising, few businesses are successful in obtaining loans from financial institutions. According to The Credit Crunch, a joint report by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), of the 840 MSMEs surveyed in Nigeria, only 31 percent successfully obtained a loan from a bank or microfinance institution. MSMEs are often burdened by a myriad of challenges like multiple taxation systems and high costs. The risks associated with credit access in Nigeria stem from many causes.

Lack of Collateral

To secure a loan from financial institutions, collateral is one of the prerequisites. This protects the lending bank in case the borrower defaults on the loan. For MSMEs looking for small business loans, inadequate collateral is a major reason for not receiving loans.

Secure land is the most common collateral for banks in Nigeria, but only 5 percent of the land is formally titled, mostly consisting of urban land or commercial farms. Low-income households own a large portion of rural land, which does not have validated titles.

This acts as a major obstacle for microenterprise owners and low-income households that are keen to obtain affordable credit from formal financial institutions. Many analysts argue that the provisions and implementations of the Land Use Act of 1978 are largely responsible for limiting the authenticated titling of rural land. Since banks ask for land or buildings as collateral in 98 percent of loan applications, low-income loan seekers remain unable to secure loans.

But efforts are being made to allow greater use of moveable and reputational collateral in bank loans. The CBN recently established the National Collateral Registry to improve credit access in Nigeria. Additionally, it is supporting the development of a modern credit reporting system in Nigeria with backing from the World Bank.

No Awareness of Credit Reporting System

Many borrowers are unaware of their credit history, and despite having a good credit record, they are reluctant to apply for loans simply because they do not meet the collateral requirements.

This becomes a concern for borrowers, particularly rural dwellers looking for microloans for their small businesses. They have been reluctant to approach banks for loans, which in turn has slowed down the entrepreneurial growth of small businesses that may have had a promising growth but could rarely take off due to a lack of financing.

The country remains a part of a large-scale campaign, the Credit Reporting and National Collateral Registry Education and Awareness Campaign. The campaign’s goal is to create awareness of credit tools through the collateral registry and the credit reporting system and is a collaborative initiative of the CBN and IFC. Such efforts promise to promote responsible lending and borrowing among those borrowers.

CBN has also teamed up with other stakeholders to promote the Credit Awareness campaign. The campaign promises to educate consumers on rural financial services and shares information on issues that will improve and allow greater appreciation of the rights and responsibilities of microfinance institutions and other financial institutions, along with their clients and stakeholders. Subsequently, Credit Awareness Nigeria plans on launching another public campaign on credit awareness and financial literacy to bring together microfinance practitioner institutions, development partners, stakeholders and clients of microfinance institutions.

No Interaction with Financial Institutions

Of those surveyed, less than a third of MSMEs successfully acquired loans for their businesses. A reason for this is that rural borrowers do not have an established relationship with banks. Due to their lack of interaction with financial institutions, rural borrowers fail to understand the conditions of getting a loan or the required loan application procedures. This also causes problems for rural dwellers who do not have a credit history, resulting in borrowers resorting to informal savings and reinvested profits.

Nigerian Businesses Remain Hopeful

While there remain considerable concerns about inadequate credit access in Nigeria, not all hope is lost. MSMEs overall have confidence in Nigeria’s economy and feel that economic growth will improve in the next five years as financial lenders become more willing to lend to smaller-scale businesses.

Nigeria is one of the 25 priority countries to become a part of the World Bank Group’s Universal Financial Access 2020 initiatives. The World Bank project aims to extend access to financial services to all adults by 2020. Moreover, many projects are joining hands to ensure that the rural dwellers get credit access, with programs being introduced to overhaul the obsolete land registration system and paving way for more credit options for rural farmers.

– Deena Zaidi

Photo: Flickr