By Sulaimon Olanrewaju
Nigeria’s Poverty Context
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its 2022 National Multi-dimensional Poverty Index report, put the number of multi-dimensionally poor people in the country at 133 million, representing 63 percent of the population. The agency also stated that of this number, 86 million people (65 percent) live in the North, while nearly 47 million (35 percent) live in the South.
Although the internationally recognized metric for categorizing anyone as being poor is living below $2.15 per day, the NBS, in its report, adopted the multi-dimensional approach of identifying non-monetary deprivations that breed poverty. Thus, NBS identified four major determinants of poverty: health, education, living standards, work and shocks.
According to the agency,
Health comprises nutrition, food security as well as access to healthcare.
Education has to do with school attendance, years of schooling and school lag.
Living standard is determined by access to water and good sanitation.
Work is a function of unemployment and underemployment.
Shocks have to do with security.
NBS’s position on the determinants of poverty correlates with that of the United Nations as well as the World Bank.
Global Definitions of Poverty
According to the United Nations, poverty, fundamentally, is a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. “It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to; not having the land on which to grow one’s food or a job to earn one’s living, not having access to credit.”
The World Bank describes poverty as pronounced deprivation in well-being in a multi-dimensional manner. “It includes low incomes and the inability to acquire the basic goods and services necessary for survival with dignity. Poverty also encompasses low levels of health and education, poor access to clean water and sanitation, inadequate physical security, lack of voice, and insufficient capacity and opportunity to better one’s life.”
The distillation of the definitions of the two global bodies shows that poverty starts with exclusion and results in deprivation. The poor are so because they have been excluded from opportunities to access good healthcare, receive good education, access good nutrition, access clean water and sanitation, earn decent income and are left vulnerable to the vicissitudes of life. It is this exclusion that leads to a debilitating lifestyle which underpins poverty.
Poverty as the Worst Enemy of Humanity
A 2013 research conducted by Anandi Mani, Sendhil Mullainathan, Eldar Shafir and Jiaying Zhao, all of Princeton University in the United States of America, found out that poverty is the greatest enemy of humanity.
The study, Poverty Impedes Cognitive Function, found out that poverty and all its related concerns require so much mental energy to manage that those battling with the dearth of money have less brainpower left to devote to other areas of life.
The researchers aver that being poor hinders a person from concentrating on the thoroughfare out of poverty. According to their finding, a poor person’s cognitive function is swallowed by the constant and all-consuming effort of coping with the immediate effects of having little money, such as scrounging to pay bills and cutting costs.
Thus, the person is left with fewer “mental resources” to focus on complicated, indirectly related matters such as education, job training, personal development and even time management, all of which are necessary for him to experience the desired change. So, poverty keeps the poor so embroiled in coping with lack that they can’t break out of that ring to generate more income or create wealth.
Poverty as the Worst Enemy of Humanity
A 2013 research conducted by Anandi Mani, Sendhil Mullainathan, Eldar Shafir and Jiaying Zhao, all of Princeton University in the United States of America, found out that poverty is the greatest enemy of humanity.
The study, Poverty Impedes Cognitive Function, found out that poverty and all its related concerns require so much mental energy to manage that those battling with the dearth of money have less brainpower left to devote to other areas of life.
The researchers aver that being poor hinders a person from concentrating on the thoroughfare out of poverty. According to their finding, a poor person’s cognitive function is swallowed by the constant and all-consuming effort of coping with the immediate effects of having little money, such as scrounging to pay bills and cutting costs.
Thus, the person is left with fewer “mental resources” to focus on complicated, indirectly related matters such as education, job training, personal development and even time management, all of which are necessary for him to experience the desired change. So, poverty keeps the poor so embroiled in coping with lack that they can’t break out of that ring to generate more income or create wealth.
The Makinde Dimension
In Oyo State, long before the NBS came up with its report, the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde had rolled out a plan of taking the people of Oyo State from poverty to prosperity using the four pillars of Health, Education, Economic Expansion, and Security.
This strategy is well enunciated in the governor’s Oyo State Roadmap to Accelerated Development 2019–2023 and Oyo State Roadmap to Sustainable Development 2023–2027.
Health Care
Makinde has deployed the ‘One Ward One Primary HealthCare Centre’ strategy to take good healthcare services to the doorstep of every Oyo State resident. Consequently, over the past six and a half years, Oyo State Government has upgraded almost 300 PHCs with about 264 of them fully equipped.
To ensure the people have the best of healthcare in their neighbourhood facilities, Oyo State Government provides Level 3 facilities, which can render comprehensive healthcare services. Level 3 PHCs have ancillary facilities such as accommodation for healthcare providers that need to be within that facility, a perimeter fence, potable water and electricity.
Similarly, the state government has upgraded, equipped and staffed a number of secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities. These include Adeoyo Maternity Hospital, Ring Road State Hospital, Jericho Nursing Home, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, General Hospitals across the state, and Secretariat Staff Clinic, Agodi, Ibadan.
The administration has equally provided free medical services to over two million people in the state through the annual Omituntun Free Health Mission, which is taken to all the 33 local government areas.
Nutrition and Agriculture
To facilitate food security and increase food production, the Seyi Makinde administration has been empowering and supporting smallholder farmers through tractorisation subsidies, digital soil testing across 100 communities, and distribution of improved cassava stems and maize seeds.
Over 10,000 farmers have benefited from inputs, 21,000 bags of fertilisers distributed, and 3,000 farmers supported with N1 billion in credit loans.
Support has also been extended to poultry, fish, and swine farmers, as well as vaccination for over 250,000 sheep/goats and 120,000 cattle. Consequently, Oyo State recorded one of the lowest food inflation rates in the country in February 2025.
Education
Governor Makinde sees education as the force that unleashes potential and spurs creativity. On assuming office, he abolished the N3,000 school fee, making education free in primary and secondary schools — resulting in over 80,000 out-of-school children returning to class.
He committed to UNESCO’s 15–20% budgetary recommendation for education and has since renovated about 1,000 classrooms, built 60 model schools, and distributed free textbooks.
The administration cleared inherited salary arrears in tertiary institutions, supports Law School students with N500,000 bursary, and gives bursaries to students in various professional schools.
In November 2020, Oyo State gained sole ownership of LAUTECH, marking a new era of progress.
Water Supply and Sanitation
Through the Water Corporation of Oyo State (WCOS), water supply has been restored to several parts of the state — including Ibadan, Eruwa, Oyo, and Ogbomoso — though electricity challenges persist.
Governor Makinde prioritizes a clean environment, combining legislation, sensitization, stakeholder engagement, and enforcement.
Oyo State partnered UNICEF to eliminate open defecation by 2028 and the World Bank on the SURWASH programme. Enforcement is led by the Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority.
Employment
Governor Makinde’s record in job creation is unmatched in Oyo State.
5,000 teachers in first term
20,000+ workers employed in second term
5,600 primary school teachers and 80 caregivers
7,500 secondary school teachers and 3,000 non-teaching staff
3,933 PHC workers and 300+ healthcare professionals
791 civil servants and 1,591 local government ad-hoc staff made permanent
Recruitment into OYRTMA, Amotekun, and other agencies
Security
Makinde’s cooperation with federal security agencies has birthed the Police Mobile Force 72 Squadron in Ago Are and a new Nigerian Air Force Base in Ajia.
Over 500 patrol vehicles have been donated to security agencies.
Amotekun, the regional security outfit, has been well trained and equipped.
The state is also acquiring two surveillance aircraft to strengthen its security architecture.
Road Infrastructure
Over the past six and a half years, about 600km of roads have been constructed or reconstructed — connecting all zones of the state (Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun, Ibarapa).
Key projects include Moniya–Iseyin, Oyo–Iseyin, Ogbomoso–Fapote–Iseyin, and the ongoing Ido–Eruwa road.
Improved road networks have enhanced connectivity and economic development. A 10% increase in road infrastructure results in a 5.16% decline in poverty.
Inclusion
Through the Oyo State Health Insurance Agency, the vulnerable are protected from the cost of healthcare. Pensioners receive timely payments and benefits, including increases and adjustments.
According to Commissioner for Women Affairs, 1.13 million indigent families have benefited from interventions such as conditional cash transfers and financial assistance over the last 30 months.
Outcome
As a consequence of the efforts of the Makinde administration in providing a high standard of living, improving the environment and the infrastructure as well as securing the people, the 2025 State Performance Index (pSPI) ranked Oyo State as the most liveable in Nigeria.
For Governor Seyi Makinde, taking the people of Oyo State from poverty to prosperity is not just a slogan but a vision realized through strategic, people-centered governance.
●Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju
Special Adviser (Media) to Oyo State Governor
