If you have seen the latest release by the UN on the state of the nigerian economy you will weep or be thinking of moving out. let me give you some hints

Definition of terms

Multidimensional Poverty Index: Percentage of the population that is multidimensionally poor adjusted by the intensity of the deprivations.

 

Multidimensional poverty headcount: Percentage of the population with a weighted deprivation score of at least 33 percent.

 

Intensity of deprivation of multidimensional poverty: Average percentage of deprivation experienced by people in multidimensional poverty.

 

Population vulnerable to poverty: Percentage of the population at risk of suffering multiple

deprivations—that is, those with a deprivation score of 20–33 percent.

 

Population in severe poverty: Percentage of the population in severe multidimensional poverty—that is, those with a deprivation score of 50 percent or more.

                                  

Share of multidimensional poor with deprivations in clean water: Percentage of the multidimensionally poor population without access to clean water that is less than a 30 minute walk from home. Clean water is defined using the Millennium Development Goal definition and includes piped water into dwelling, plot or yard; public tap/standpipe; borehole/tube well; protected dug well; protected spring; rainwater collection; and bottled water (if a secondary available source is also improved). It does not include unprotected

well, unprotected spring, water provided by carts with small tanks/drums, tanker truck-provided water and bottled water (if secondary source is not an improved source); or surface water taken directly from rivers, ponds, streams, lakes, dams or irrigation channels.

                                 

Share of multidimensional poor with deprivations in improved sanitation: Percentage of the multidimensionally poor population without access to an improved sanitation facility. Improved sanitation facilities are defined using the Millennium Development Goal definition and include flush or pour-flush to piped sewer system or septic tank, ventilated improved pit latrine, pit latrine with slab and composting toilet.

 

Facilities are not considered improved when they are shared with other households or open to the public.

 

Share of multidimensional poor with deprivations in modern fuels: Percentage of the multidimensionally poor population without access to modern fuels. Households are considered deprived of modern fuels if they cook with wood, charcoal or dung.

 

Population below PPP $1.25 a day: Percentage of the population living below the international poverty line $1.25 (in purchasing power parity terms) a day.

                    

Population below national poverty line: Percentage of the population living below the national poverty line, which is the poverty line deemed appropriate for a country by its authorities.  

 

ANALYSIS:

 

• Statistics shows that 54.1% of Nigerians are multidimensionally poor with no job or no good job, no access to clean water, housing, electricity,health, education and can just die at any time as a result of combination of these factors.
• The extent of the deprivation or lack of basic social amenities of the multidimensionally poor is 57.3%
• 17.8% of the population is PRONE to poverty
• 33.9% live in severe poverty in Nigeria
• 54.7% live below poverty line
• 64.4% live on $ 1.25 

 

 

Nigeria is currently ranked 156^th position with a negative change value of -4 indicating that there has been no improvement in ranking between 2006-2011 signifying epileptic government policy impact on the citizenry. this means that the government that ruled Nigeria between 2006 and 20011 have not done anything positive to improve the standard of live in Nigeria. It also showed that Nigeria falls below the regional HDI for 2011. In fact Nigeria’s HDI has always been below that of the region. the regional HDI is the average HDI for that region. see table below: 

 

YEARS		Nigeria HDI		SUB SAHARAN AFRICA
1980		0.316		0.365
1985		0.334		0.374
1990		0.347		0.383
1995		0.363		0.395
2000		0.383		0.401
2005		0.422		0.431
2006		0.430		0.438
2007	0.437		0.445
2008	0.443		0.451
2009	0.448		0.456
2010	0.453		0.460
2011	0.456		0.463

 

It showed countries like Ghana, Algeria, Egypt, Namibia, South Africa, Congo, et al making the MEDIUM HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX.

 

ANALYSIS OF TABLE THREE:

 

 Inequality-adjusted HDI (IHDI): HDI value adjusted for inequalities in the three basic dimensions of human development:

• A long and healthy life,
•  knowledge
•  a decent standard of living.

 

Under perfect equality the IHDI is equal to the HDI, but falls below the HDI when inequality rises. In this sense, the IHDI is the actual level of human development (taking into account inequality), while the HDI can be viewed as an index of the potential human development that could be achieved if there is no inequality. The IHDI accounts for inequality in HDI dimensions by “discounting” each dimension’s average value according to its level of inequality measured by the Atkinson index. We apply this index to 134 countries.

 

Countries with less human development tend to have greater inequality in more dimensions—and thus larger losses in human development

 

Overall loss: The loss in potential human development due to inequality, calculated as the percentage difference between the HDI and the IHDI.

 

Inequality-adjusted life expectancy index: The HDI life expectancy index adjusted for inequality in distribution of expected length of life based on data from life tables listed in Main data sources.

 

Inequality-adjusted education index: The HDI education index adjusted for inequality in distribution of years of schooling based on data from household surveys listed in Main data sources.

 

Inequality-adjusted income index: The HDI income index adjusted for inequality in income distribution based on data from household surveys listed in Main data sources.

 

Quintile income ratio: Ratio of the average income of the richest 20 percent of the population to the average income of the poorest 20 percent of the population.

 

Income Gini coefficient: Measure of the deviation of the distribution of income (or consumption) among individuals or households within a country from a perfectly equal distribution. A value of 0 represents absolute equality, a value of 100 absolute inequality.

 

ANALYSIS

• Nigeria has an HDI 0.459 and IHDI of 0.278 which shows that the society wide gap between the rich and the poor. Nigeria is currently suffering a loss of 39.3% on potential human development due to inequality in living standard.

 

• The inequality-adjusted life expectancy index showed that inequality has made Nigeria to suffer 43.8 loss of human capital.

 

• Inequality-adjusted education index showed a disparity loss of 44.2% indication that the gap between those who have access to education and those who don’t but should have is wide and it a serious loss to the economy.

 

• Inequality-adjusted income index showed 28.8% loss on the HDI due to inequality. This indicates that disparity of household income is worsening the human development potentialities of many Nigerians.

 

• Income Gini co-efficient showed that there is a widening gap between the high income earners and the low income earners

 

the issue now is this, of what use is an entity that is wasting human capital and at the same time preaching development. i wont be surprised if someone will write that it will take a longer time to get light, water, good road et al. i am not saying we should start building ships or nuclear warhead or supersonic jets. what Nigerians need is that the economy should not be 'Almajiri' type of economy where many are at the mercy of few. the minister for petroleum said some days ago that it will take twelve months to add some mega watts to the national grid. when i look at how complacent she held the microphone when she said it......i mourned. With the rate at which things are going, if we don't force our leaders to change then force will change us to our leaders. imaging a situation where student who suppose to be studying are remonstrating with their school authority over lack of water and power supply after 50 years of independence. ask me who will start the revolution......the answer is the God of spontaneous reaction to evil