Significantly, Nigeria is currently ranked 157th out of 189 countries on the human development index (HDI). Dangote blamed the poverty in the north on the irresponsibility of state actors in the northern quadrant to harness the region’s potentials. By his submission, which aligns with other statistics, about 60 per cent of people in the Northeast and Northwest live in extreme poverty. To augment the statistics, the Global Report on Food Crisis 2019 grouped Nigeria among seven other countries ravaged by hunger and Northern Nigeria is particularly singled out. The business mogul also warned that northern Nigeria would continue to lag behind the development ladder unless a conscious step was taken to close the development gap.

Source: The Guardian April 18, 2019 03:56 UTC