ActionAid urges urgent reforms to address human devt crisis

The ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has urged an immediate action to address the dire realities confronting the nation, especially in the recently released Human Development Report (HDR) by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

 The AAN Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, made the call in a statement in Abuja.

 He lamented that the UN report painted a harrowing picture of global regression in human development, with Nigeria as one of those at the epicenter of this crisis.

 He noted that the latest data from the report ranks Nigeria as low as 161 out of 193 countries in the world with HDI value as low at 0.548.

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 “This huge setback is more frightening as the recorded recovery of Human Development Index (HDI) values since the 2020-2021 decline is projected to be highly unequal. The impact of the findings in the report on the Nigerian populace cannot be overstated and as always, it is the most vulnerable who bear the brunt.

 “This disenfranchisement disproportionately affects the marginalised communities of Nigeria, trapping them in cycles of poverty and despair. According to the report, both Libya and South Africa boast relatively high HDI rankings, indicating significant achievements in human development.

 “Despite Nigeria’s vast natural resources and higher GDP compared to Libya and South Africa, its HDI remains comparatively low. This discrepancy underscores a critical issue: the failure of economic growth to translate effectively into improvements in the well-being of Nigerian citizens,” Mamedu said.

 He said that while Nigeria’s high GDP figures may suggest economic prosperity, it evidently doesn’t not correlate with improvements in living standards, education, healthcare, or overall human development.

 He said, “In alignment with the federal government’s target to lift 50 million people out of poverty, ActionAid Nigeria has also set a goal to contribute to lifting 1,000,000 individuals out of poverty within the next five years.”

 The AAN boss, therefore urged the federal government to heed the urgent call to action outlined in the HDR and demanded immediate measures to address the crises unfolding in education, health, infrastructure, and social safety nets.