by Mohammed Bello Doka
22 July, 2026
There is a famous saying, borrowed from Professor Patrick Lumumba, that captures the futility of Nigeria's endless North-South poverty debate: it is a debate between dwarfs. Whoever wins is still a dwarf. And that is precisely what Nigeria has become—a nation of dwarfs arguing over who is shorter, while the rest of the world watches a giant collapse under the weight of its own failure.
Whenever the conversation turns to poverty, the instinct of many southerners is swift and predictable. They point northward, fingers raised in accusation, calling northerners beggars and layabouts. In their minds, they have constructed a comforting fiction—that the South is an Eldorado, a land where milk and honey flows in the gutter, where opportunity beckons on every corner, where poverty is a northern problem, not a Nigerian one. This is not merely a delusion. It is a dangerous lie that has allowed the political elite from both regions to escape accountability for decades.
Yes, the North is poor. Extremely poor. Devastatingly poor. According to the World Bank's Country Partnership Framework for Nigeria covering 2026 to 2032, about 61 per cent of Nigerians live below the national poverty line, while 33 per cent are classified as ultra-poor and unable to meet minimum food requirements. The burden is concentrated largely in northern Nigeria. The World Food Programme warns that more than 17 million people across nine conflict-affected states in northern Nigeria are experiencing crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of hunger—an increase of almost two million since the last projections. In Borno state alone, more than three million people are acutely food insecure, with over 750,000 facing severe hunger conditions and over 10,000 people facing catastrophic hunger. The number of food-insecure people in three northeastern states has increased to 6.2 million, yet the WFP is only able to support 740,000 of them, leaving 5.5 million people—particularly children—without lifesaving food and nutrition assistance. Nigeria's ranking on the Global Hunger Index has worsened from 103rd out of 123 countries in 2022/2023 to 115th out of 123 in 2025/2026, with a score of 32.8 that indicates a "serious" hunger status.
But let no southerner rest easy in the comfort of these northern numbers. For Nigeria as a whole does not fare any better. The same World Bank report reveals that nearly 79 per cent of Nigerians remain poor or vulnerable to falling into poverty. That is nearly eight out of every ten Nigerians—about 139 million people. Poverty rose from about 40 per cent in 2019 to 61 per cent in 2025, despite extensive World Bank support programmes. ActionAid Nigeria Country Director Andrew Mamedu captured the outrage: "The World Bank has just confirmed what many Nigerian families already know—nearly 8 out of every 10 Nigerians are poor, or one shock away from becoming poor". He highlighted that poverty rose from 40 per cent in 2019 to 61 per cent in 2025 and now 79 per cent in 2026, despite claims of stabilisation, rising reserves, and investor confidence. "Who exactly is this recovery for?" he asked.
The South is not Eldorado. In Lagos, the commercial capital that southerners love to boast about, the demolition of informal settlements has turned the promise of "housing for all" into a tale of loss, displacement and deepening urban poverty. From 1973 to 2024, there were 91 forced evictions in Lagos, directly affecting over two million residents. Demolitions in Makoko from December 2025 to January 2026 destroyed over 3,000 homes and displaced more than 10,000 people. The floating city, more than a century old and home to nearly 300,000 people, has seen thousands left homeless, living on the water in canoes, sleeping on the streets and in temporary structures. By 23 January 2026, at least 12 people, including two infants, had allegedly died from inhaling tear gas fumes during the demolitions.
In Port Harcourt, the crisis is no less acute. The Tenants' Union of Nigeria revealed that rental prices have increased sharply across all categories of housing in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor. A single room rose from N60,000 in 2022 to N180,000 in 2026, while self-contained apartments increased from N150,000 to N800,000. Double-room apartments increased from N120,000 to N520,000 annually, while a one-bedroom flat rose from N300,000 to N1.5 million. The International Union of Tenants described the situation as a "full-scale crisis" affecting civil servants, company employees, the self-employed, and retirees. When tenants are forced to spend more than their entire income on rent, housing systems have ceased to function.
Nationally, Nigeria now has the highest homeless population in the world, with an estimated 24.4 million people lacking proper shelter. According to World Population Review data, 24 million people in the country do not have a place to call home. Nigeria's housing deficit is estimated at between 15 million and 28 million units. This is not a northern problem. This is a Nigerian catastrophe.
The unemployment figures tell the same story. While the federal government boasts about an official unemployment rate of around 4.9 per cent, this figure is achieved by adopting an international measurement standard that counts anyone working even one hour per week as employed. The reality is far grimmer. The combined rate of unemployment and underemployment reached 42 per cent as of March 2026. Youth unemployment is estimated at over 42 per cent. The National Population Commission reports that youth unemployment sits around 33 per cent, with over 20 per cent underemployed. About 80 per cent of working youth remain in the informal sector. The World Bank projects that about 60 million young people will enter the labour market over the next decade, yet only about 14 per cent of employed Nigerians have regular wage-paying jobs, with most workers engaged in low-paying informal employment. Over 90 per cent of Nigerians are in the informal sector.
The South-South region, home to Nigeria's oil wealth, is not exempt. Cross River State's youth unemployment surpasses 50 per cent. Rivers State accounts for a staggering 13.4 per cent of Nigeria's total unemployment. The region struggles with environmental degradation, poor infrastructure, ecological damage, youth unemployment, and poverty linked to years of industrial neglect. Eighty-six million Nigerians lack access to electricity. Eighty-four per cent of Nigerian children aged between five and fourteen cannot read age-appropriate texts despite attending school.
Nigeria is not a poor country. Nigeria is a rich country that has been looted into poverty by a political and business elite that has no interest in the welfare of the masses. The oil sector represents above 60 per cent of total government revenue and around 90 per cent of exports. Nigeria's economy is forecast to grow by 3.7 per cent in 2026, with GDP projected to reach over ₦690 trillion. The country is projected to reclaim its position as the third-largest economy in Africa. Foreign reserves have exceeded $42 billion. Yet this wealth flows upwards, not downwards. It enriches the few while the many sink deeper into despair.
This is why Nigeria is called the poverty capital of the world. The Arewa Consultative Forum noted with concern that Nigeria, and especially the northern region, retains the "unenviable status" of poverty capital of the world, where living challenges have become entrenched. Former Chief Economic Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo confirmed that Nigeria has become the poverty capital of the world. Nigeria accounts for 12 per cent of the global population living in extreme poverty, ranking it among the world's largest contributors. NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi referenced World Bank data showing that Nigerians living in poverty increased from 81 million in 2019 to about 139 million in 2025, with projections suggesting the figure could rise to 141 million by 2026. Between 2023 and 2026 alone, an estimated 26 million Nigerians would be newly pushed into poverty.
The debate between North and South over who is poorer is a debate between dwarfs. Whoever wins is still a dwarf. The North is drowning, yes—but the South is not swimming. It is merely treading water in a gutter that happens to have a few more streetlights. The political and business elite from both regions feast while the masses starve. They build mansions in London and Dubai while Nigerians sleep under bridges in Lagos and Port Harcourt. They send their children to the best schools in the world while 84 per cent of Nigerian children cannot read age-appropriate texts.
The more we hold our leaders from both sides accountable, the better. Until we stop this senseless regional bickering and demand that our collective wealth serve our collective people, Nigeria will remain what it has always been—a nation of dwarfs arguing over who is shorter, while the rest of the world watches and wonders why a country so rich can be so poor. The milk and honey is not flowing in anyone's gutter. It is being hoarded in the silos of the elite, while the rest of us fight over the crumbs.
Mohammad Bello Doka can be reached via [email protected]
Abuja Network News
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