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By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
In what could be described as a national tragedy, statistical survey has revealed that 65 percent of Nigerian households cannot afford healthy food, while 12 percent go without food for a whole day.
The survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), with support from the World Bank, shows that 71percent of Nigerian households struggle with food price shocks as a result of rising costs of major food items.
The report also indicated that over 65% of Nigerians are deprived of healthy diet due to poverty.
These revelations were made at the launch of the report tagged “General Household Survey-Panel Wave 5” in Abuja, by the Statistician-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the NBS, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran.
He said the survey served as an essential tool for capturing the dynamics of Nigerian households, providing invaluable insights into economic activities, well-being, and resilience.
The report also indicated that approximately two out of three households are unable to eat healthy, nutritious or preferred foods because of lack of money.
The survey also tagged “State of the Nation” stated that “65% of Nigerian households cannot afford healthy food, while 12% go without food for a whole day – NBS”, he stated.
“Similarly, 63.8% of households eat only a few kinds of food due to lack of money, with 62.4% being worried about not having enough food to eat, and 60.5% eating less than they thought they should, according to the report.
“Price increases on household goods, affecting 71.0% of surveyed households and reducing food consumption with 48.8%,” he stated.
The report also captured other areas, such as income-generating activities, labour and time use, agriculture, housing characteristics and household assets, among others.
Prince Adeniran said the General Household survey collects information on household income, assets and consumption, income-generating activities, health, education, shocks, and total well-being of Nigerians.
“Today’s launch is a culmination of another effort by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and one of our closest partners, the World Bank, to enhance understanding of household living conditions and provide government and other policymakers with reliable information for effective policy decision-making in Nigeria,” Prince Adeniran explained.
He said the GHS Panel created a platform for providing data to users, as well as enhance ability to innovate and explore modern methods for survey implementation.
“Also, the survey provides a nuanced understanding of how Nigerian households navigate challenges and seize opportunities presented by the different types of shocks.
“Other interesting stories such as Energy access in Nigeria can be told from the findings of the survey. The results show a significant divide between urban and rural access to electricity: 82.2 percent of urban households have electricity, compared to 40.4 percent in rural areas, with households facing an average of 6.7 power blackouts weekly, nationally,” he said.
Senator Abubakar Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, represented by Dr Zainab Pisagih, Director of Planning in the ministry, said the survey findings would help with decision-making, strategic planning, and allocation of resources to the right channels.
“The survey will change the way we think at the planning stage and help us stay focused so we can plan better for the Nigerian economy,” the minister stated
