Oxfam warns of rising inequality as 83 million Nigerians live in poverty
The Country Director of Oxfam in Nigeria, John Makina, has warned that deepening inequality is trapping millions of Nigerians in poverty while favouring a small elite.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday at a policy dialogue themed “The Next 90%: Youth, Policy & A Fairer Nigeria”, Makina said the richest 10 per cent of Nigerians control 90 per cent of the nation’s resources, leaving over 83 million citizens surviving on less than ₦3,100 ($2) a day.
He described the exclusion of young people from governance as alarming, noting that there is currently no federal cabinet member under the age of 35. Women, he added, face similar marginalisation, holding only 4.2 per cent of seats in the National Assembly despite dominating the agricultural workforce and owning just 13 per cent of arable land.
Makina also decried education and literacy gaps, revealing that over two-thirds of teenage girls in northern Nigeria are illiterate, while female literacy nationwide stands at 35 per cent compared to 59.5 per cent for men.
On fiscal policy, he criticised the government’s granting of over ₦5 trillion in tax incentives to large corporations in 2024 — equivalent to 18.5 per cent of the federal budget. He called for wealth taxes, stronger regulation of corporations, and investments in public services to close inequality gaps.
He urged policies to create decent jobs for young people, raise the minimum wage to match the cost of living, and formalise the informal sector, which currently employs 65 per cent of Nigeria’s workforce.
Support for small and medium enterprises through simplified registration, tax breaks, training, and access to credit, he said, would reduce vulnerable employment affecting more than half of young Nigerians.
Makina stressed that inequality is the result of deliberate policy choices and inaction, not an inevitable reality, and warned that Nigeria’s economic, political, and social stability depends on inclusive reforms.
