Nigeria quality of life

The info graphic below shows how some of the development indicators are improving in Nigeria.
However, don’t forget that the pace of change is slow and that Nigeria remains a deeply divided
country in terms of wealth and quality of life. The poorest people in Nigeria can be counted
amongst the poorest in Africa, whilst the wealthiest control much of the money and resources
within the country.

As a country's economy develops, ordinary people will usually see some benefits. Quality of life is
measured by the HDI (Human Development Index) and Nigeria's HDI has risen from 0.465 in 2005 to
0.5 in 2012.The people of Nigeria could have their quality of life improve in the future, but there are
still significant challenges to them:

Opportunities Challenges

A continuing stable government 60% of Nigerians live in poverty

Safe water access has risen from 40% to 64% in recent Oil spills have caused environmental degradation
years

Life expectancy has risen from 46 in 1990 to 52 in Oil spills have caused destruction to small villages
2013

There are 73 mobile phones per 100 people Pests like the tsetse fly restrict commercial livestock
farming

The north is under threat of desertification

Distrust between tribal groups

Religious divide between Christian south and Muslim

north

Kidnappings by Boko Haram have spread fear

In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 53 years. While low compared to western standards, this
figure is dramatically higher than the 37 expected years in 1960. What’s more, in just the last two
decades this figure has increased seven years from the 46-year expectancy in 2000.

Poor living conditions are more common in urban environments. In an article written for the Journal
of the Arts and Humanities, authors Babatunde Femi Akin ode, Emilia Oluwafolakemi Martins
conclude that deteriorated houses are centred on urban areas — particularly in the western city of
Ogbomosho.

Fighting in the Borno state has decreased the quality of life for its residents. In a 2016 article done by
Doctors Without Borders, many in the area were said to have been cut off from all humanitarian aid
due to fighting between the Nigerian military and the militant group Boko Haram. Fighting still
continues as of last month.

Nigeria leads Africa in total people without internet access. Despite having the most people online,
53 percent of Nigerians lack internet access. Furthermore, the country lags behind wealthier
countries like Egypt which have a smaller portion without internet access.

Nigeria has an unemployment rate of 18.8 percent. Yet this rate has been climbing steadily for over
2 years, and one article written by Yomi Kazeem states that this trend has no sign of slowing.
Nigeria’s job scarcity is exemplified by the fact that nearly one million people applied for 10,000
positions in the Nigerian police force in May 2016.

Access to clean water is a persistent problem for Nigerians. USAID reports that many Nigerians
struggle with access to clean water, and this struggle remains a particularly dire situation in the
northern part of the country in which only 30 percent of the population have access to safe drinking
water.

Nigeria has a problem with air pollution. According to the Little Green Data Book published by the
World Bank in 2017, 100 percent of the population is exposed to higher pm2.5 (particulate matter)
pollution than is advised in the World Health Organization guidelines. WHO recommends that levels
of PM 2.5 be kept under 10 micrograms per cubic meter; however, the mean level in Nigeria is 26
micrograms per cubic meter. By contrast, the United States’ value is 8.

Nigeria has the second largest HIV/AIDS positive population in the World. Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS
accounts for nine percent of the world’s HIV burden, and the largest global burden of malaria.
Combined, these two facts indicate Nigeria’s struggle with maintaining the health of its citizens’
lives.

Nigeria is in the bottom half of countries in terms of happiness. This study ranks happiness by
combining statistics on per capita GDP, freedom to make life decisions, healthy life expectancy,
generosity, social support, generosity and perceptions of corruption. Nigeria, although in the bottom
half of the study, does indeed rank ahead of many of its sub-Saharan counterparts.

Nigeria’s Human Development Index has increased by over 18 percent from 2003 to 2015. Despite
many setbacks, it is clear that the people in Nigeria have made improvements in their quality of life.
An increasing number of people are free to live lives unburdened with extreme material deprivation.

By Jenny Chalmers