Fact-Checking the PDP's Claims on Poverty, Terrorism, and Unemployment in Nigeria

Strategic Insights -

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) has been making claims about Nigeria's record under the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 elections. The PDP Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, claimed that Nigeria is the "poverty capital of the world" and the "third most terrorised country." He also stated that unemployment is at 35%. We fact-checked these claims.

Key Takeaways:

  • Nigeria is not the "poverty capital of the world" in terms of absolute numbers of poor people, as India has more people living in extreme poverty.
  • The World Poverty Clock data tool shows that India has more people living in extreme poverty, contrary to the PDP's claim.
  • The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) set the national poverty line at N137,430 a year or N376.5 a day, which is lower than the World Bank's $1.90 poverty benchmark.
  • Nigeria is ranked sixth on the Global Terrorism Index, not third, according to the Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP).
  • The IEP's ranking methodology has been questioned by security analysts, who argue that it relies heavily on Western-based institutions and think tanks.
  • The most recent official data shows that the national unemployment rate was 33.3% in the last three months of 2020, which is close to the PDP's claim of 35%.
  • 22.8% of Nigeria's working population were underemployed at the end of 2020, which is a significant portion of the workforce.

Statistics:

  • Nigeria has 83 million people living in extreme poverty, compared to 83.1 million in India (World Poverty Clock data tool).
  • Nigeria is ranked sixth on the Global Terrorism Index (IEP).
  • The national unemployment rate was 33.3% in the last three months of 2020 (NBS).
  • 22.8% of Nigeria's working population were underemployed at the end of 2020 (NBS).
  • 39.1 million people were either unemployed or underemployed in Nigeria (NBS).

Sources:

  • World Poverty Clock data tool (https://worldpoverty.io/headline)
  • National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) (https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/)
  • Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP) (https://www.economicsandpeace.org/)
  • United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (https://www.unodc.org/unodc/index.html)