By Uduma Kalu

ABUJA - Sokoto State has retained its position as the poorest state in the country, with 81.2 per cent poverty rate, the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, has said.

In a report released on its website, the NBS stated that Sokoto remained the poorest state in the country, followed by Katsina just as Adamawa and Gombe States shared the same poverty rate of 74.2 per cent.

According to the information, other states with high poverty rate include Jigawa and Plateau states with 74.1 per cent each; Ebonyi, 73.6 per cent; Bauchi, 73 per cent; Kebbi, 72 per cent and Zamfara, 70.8 per cent.

Niger, with 33.8 per cent has the lowest poverty rate in the country followed by Osun with 37.9 per cent and Ondo, 45.7 per cent.

Others with less than 50 per cent poverty rate include Bayelsa State, 47 per cent and Lagos State, 48.6 per cent.

However, the north still maintained the lead in the average poverty rate of states in the country with North-West geopolitical zone clinching the top spot at 71.4 per cent followed by North-East 69.1 per cent and North Central, 60.7 per cent.

The six states in the South-West recorded an average poverty rate of 49.8 per cent, followed by South-South, 55.5 per cent and South-East, 59.5 per cent.

According to NBS, national unemployment rate in the country stood at 23.9 per cent at the beginning of last year.

Apart from Bayelsa, Lagos State is also said to have recorded about 48.6 per cent poverty rate in 2012.

There were no figures for 2011 but the 2012 statistics represented an improvement in the figures released by the bureau for 2010.

The Statistician-General of the NBS, Dr. Yemi Kale, had said while releasing the 2010 profile that 112.519 million Nigerians, representing 69 per cent, lived in relative poverty conditions.

According to the NBS boss, the agency arrived at the 2010 figure, by collecting data from 20 million households having an average of four family members.

In 2004, Jigawa State had the highest poverty rate of 95 per cent, while Anambra, had the lowest,22 per cent.

For unemployment rate, Zamfara State had the highest rate of 42.6 per cent, followed by Bauchi, 41.4 per cent.

http://odili.net/news/source/2013/jan/7/302.html

Poverty in the North is eye-opening! A sustained poverty rate like that, in the midst of perceived affluence in the rest of the country, is certain to make people revolt or become radicalized!

How can 81.2% of the population of a state, according to Nigerian standards, be deemed poor? Their past leaders need to bow their heads in shame regardless of their share in the national cake!

so much for Boko Haram.

asides natural resources, i believe standard of living is positively correlated to literacy levels

Wallie: Their past leaders need to bow their heads in shame regardless of their share in the national cake!

Agreed.