Nigeria’s poor population may be world’s largest, says EU envoy
“Today, Nigeria is probably the country in the world with the highest number of people living under the poverty threshold,” he said. The post Nigeria’s poor population may be world’s largest, says EU envoy appeared…
Nigeria has long contended with one of the world's largest populations of people living in extreme poverty, a problem compounded by insecurity, inflation, currency pressures and slow job creation despite the country's status as Africa's largest economy by some measures. International partners, including the European Union, have periodically flagged the scale of the crisis while tying development and security assistance to reform efforts, making remarks from EU officials a recurring barometer of how outsiders view Nigeria's economic trajectory.
The coverage agrees on the EU envoy's central claim that Nigeria may now have the highest number of poor people globally, with ThisDay providing additional detail on accompanying financial commitments — a reported €45 million aid package, including €20 million earmarked to support Nigeria's armed forces in the fight against terrorism. Details such as the timeline for disbursement, conditions attached to the funding, and the specific poverty data underpinning the envoy's assessment have not been fully spelled out in the reports.