Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has raised alarm over the worsening poverty level in Nigeria, stating that the number of citizens living in poverty today is higher than the country’s entire population at independence in 1960.
Speaking at the weekend during an interactive session in Owerri, Imo State, tagged “Moving Forward Together”, El-Rufai stressed that while countries like China and India have made huge progress in tackling poverty, Nigeria still lacks a concrete roadmap to lift millions of its people out of hardship.
According to him, Nigeria’s current condition is “deeply embarrassing,” as over 129 million citizens are now estimated to live below the international extreme poverty line of $2.15 per day. He insisted that poverty reduction must become a governance priority rather than being left to what he described as “bureaucratic agencies” with little impact.
“We can beat mass poverty if we approach it with clear policies and the right political will. What we need are not bloated ministries or agencies, but bold strategies that empower hardworking Nigerians to be more productive and fairly rewarded, while discouraging rent-seeking and quick-fix schemes,” he said.
Data shows that Nigeria’s population stood at about 45 million in 1960, compared to over 220 million today. Although reliable poverty figures from independence are scarce, available statistics indicate that by 1980, about 27 percent of Nigerians were poor. Today, that figure has more than doubled, with rural areas hit the hardest, where poverty rates exceed 75 percent.
El-Rufai also expressed concern about Nigeria’s declining voter turnout, noting that participation in presidential elections has dropped from over 60 percent in 2003 to less than 30 percent in 2023. He described the trend as dangerous for democracy and called for urgent reforms to restore trust in the electoral process.
“Every presidential election since 1999 has ended up in the courts, except in 2015 when President Goodluck Jonathan chose not to contest the result. Citizens are losing faith, and we must engage them to understand why many no longer see value in voting. Addressing this means guaranteeing their safety during elections, while also ensuring that results genuinely reflect the will of the people,” he argued.
He backed the adoption of electronic voting and real-time transmission of results ahead of the 2027 elections, citing Kaduna State’s successful deployment of e-voting during local government elections in 2018. He maintained that with proper planning, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has enough time to build a reliable system that would cut costs and reduce human interference in the process.
Beyond elections, El-Rufai stressed the importance of true federalism in building a stronger Nigeria. He lamented that successive governments have increasingly centralized powers since the 1970s, undermining the very foundation on which the nation was built.
“Nigeria was designed as a federation, but what we have today is closer to a unitary state. This centralised approach has stifled development. We need to devolve more powers and resources to the states, including control over policing and other critical sectors,” he said.
He applauded recent constitutional amendments that allowed states to legislate on electricity and railways, but urged the federal government to go further by implementing the recommendations of the 2018 APC Committee on True Federalism, which he chaired.
According to El-Rufai, genuine progress can only come when Nigeria embraces a system that reflects its diversity, empowers its states, and addresses real issues facing its citizens, rather than focusing on the politics of power-sharing.
