A report released by the United Nations, UN, has painted a gloomy picture of the country’s economy, pointing out that most of the development and social indices in the country were below acceptable standards.
The report, which was read during a consultative meeting on the formulation of the UN Development Assistance Framework IV for the South-East zone, in Awka, Anambra State, observed that Nigeria is in a fix.
Stressing that the country had been deeply divided along ethnic, religious and regional lines, the report observed that for decades, different segments of Nigeria’s population had, at different times in the last decades, expressed feelings of marginalisation.
“Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa and the seventh most populous in the world. Her population will be approximately 200 million by 2019 and over 400 million by 2050, becoming one of the top five populous countries in the world.
“Nigeria is one of the poorest and most unequal countries in the world, with over 80 million or 64 per cent of her population living below poverty line,” the report read.
