ActionAid Raises Alarm Over Poverty, Insecurity, Debt Burden And Flood Threats

By Bukar BOLORI

ActionAid Nigeria has raised the alarm over the worsening conditions confronting millions of Nigerians, warning that rising poverty, insecurity, debt servicing, food inflation and climate-related disasters are placing the country’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens under unprecedented pressure.

The organisation’s General Assembly and Board of Directors issued the warning in Abuja at the weekend after its Annual General Meeting, where they reviewed the state of the nation and expressed grave concern over developments they said continued to erode the welfare and security of ordinary Nigerians.

The group welcomed recent government initiatives, including the renewed legislative push for state police, the Federal Executive Council’s approval of comprehensive reforms of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and the introduction of a community-level flood forecasting system.

However, it cautioned that Nigerians were still waiting to see whether the measures would translate into tangible improvements in protection, livelihoods and prosperity.

ActionAid said Nigeria’s external reserves had reportedly risen to about $51.5 billion, but warned that the country’s total public debt had also climbed to ₦156.28 trillion, with $11.6 billion earmarked for debt servicing in 2026 alone.

It said the debt servicing obligation was higher than the country’s combined expenditure on education, health and agriculture, raising serious questions about the sustainability of public finances and the government’s ability to invest in human development.

The organisation further cited a World Bank warning that 79 per cent of Nigerians remained poor or vulnerable to falling into poverty, while the National Bureau of Statistics had reported a June headline inflation rate of 15.91 per cent.

It said the continuing rise in food prices, petrol prices above ₦1,100 per litre, high transportation costs and the ₦70,000 minimum wage had combined to make it increasingly difficult for Nigerian families to meet their basic needs.

A major concern raised by the organisation was the worsening attacks on schools and children.

According to ActionAid, at least 124 schoolchildren and students were abducted between May and July 2026 alone in Oyo, Borno and Zamfara States, while many other children and teachers abducted in other parts of the country remained in captivity.

The organisation said the situation underscored the growing threat to education and the safety of learners, warning that the country could not afford to allow insecurity to destroy access to education.

It also raised concern over the 2026 flood outlook, noting that the Federal Government had placed 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory on high flood alert.

The organisation said more than 14,000 communities, nearly 5,000 health facilities and over 10,000 schools were at risk between July and September.

“​​Nigeria cannot keep responding to a disaster it predicts every single year,” ActionAid said, calling on state and local governments to clear blocked drainage channels and halt further construction on known floodplains.

The organisation urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and state emergency agencies to be fully resourced and prepared throughout the high-risk period.

On security, ActionAid called for a fundamental shift from reactive military responses to a comprehensive strategy based on community intelligence, trust and accountability.

It said the spread of banditry into states including Oyo, Kogi, Lagos, Zamfara and Ogun, alongside recurring violence in Plateau State, demanded “honest structural rethinking, not incremental adjustments.”

The organisation also welcomed the renewed push for state police, noting that the Senate had passed a constitutional amendment bill while President Bola Tinubu had transmitted a fresh Constitution Alteration Bill to the House of Representatives.

It urged the National Assembly to act with urgency while preserving safeguards against political abuse and establishing a credible funding framework to ensure that poorer states were not left with the weakest security systems.

ActionAid further called on the Federal Government to plug revenue leakages and opaque deductions from allocations to states and local governments, publish full and auditable accounts of deductions at source, and develop a credible debt management framework capable of reducing the burden of debt servicing.

The organisation said resources saved must be redirected towards investment in Nigerians, particularly education, healthcare, social protection and other services critical to poverty reduction.

On taxation, ActionAid said it supported the public health objective behind the proposed sugar tax reform but warned that its current design could harm small retailers, distributors and producers.

It called for an urgent review of the tax’s impact on small businesses, including possible relief measures and phased implementation, while insisting that revenue generated from the tax should be transparently tracked and dedicated to primary healthcare in underserved communities.

The organisation also expressed concern over Nigeria’s social protection schemes, warning that exclusion errors, leakages and political capture had undermined their effectiveness.

With nearly 35 million Nigerians facing acute food insecurity during the 2026 lean season, ActionAid called for an audit of social protection programmes, publication of beneficiary data and measures to close delivery gaps, with women, young people and rural communities prioritised.

The organisation further urged the government to address the cholera outbreak in Borno State and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases through increased investment in primary healthcare.

It called for the full capitalisation and disbursement of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, functional health centres in rural and underserved communities, adequate staffing and medicines, and timely payment and support for community health workers.

On the 2027 general elections, ActionAid said the recent Ekiti State governorship election and other legislative bye-elections should serve as lessons for electoral reforms.

While acknowledging that the Ekiti election was largely peaceful and featured improved logistics, it expressed concern over allegations of vote-buying, voter intimidation, malfunctioning accreditation equipment and inconsistencies among ballot papers, result sheets and the list of candidates published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The organisation urged INEC to take concrete steps to demonstrate its neutrality and treat the reported irregularities as urgent warnings ahead of 2027.

It also called on INEC, the National Orientation Agency, civil society organisations and the media to intensify voter education, particularly in rural communities, to empower citizens to resist vote-buying and understand their rights at polling units.

ActionAid also criticised the continued high price of petrol, saying recent reductions in the ex-depot price had not provided sufficient relief to consumers.

It expressed concern over the reported dollar pricing of local fuel sales by the Dangote Refinery, warning that exchange-rate exposure could further push up petrol, transport and food prices.

The organisation urged the Federal Government to ensure that reductions in ex-depot prices translated into lower retail prices, while calling on the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to monitor retail outlets and prevent anti-competitive practices, market manipulation and exploitative pricing.

ActionAid called on civil society organisations, the media, faith communities and Nigerians to continue speaking up and holding government accountable, while standing with families whose children remained in captivity.

It reaffirmed its commitment to supporting people living in poverty and exclusion, advancing social justice and gender equality, and ensuring that Nigeria’s development did not leave its most vulnerable citizens behind.