A survey conducted lately by NOI Polls not only questions the dollar-a-day poverty threshold it also found out that Nigerians eat mainly bread, spaghetti, noodles, eba, fufu, semovita or amala.

This will no doubt get policymakers and development agencies talking and reconsidering how best to measure poverty. For business executives and economist that decry Nigeria’s lack of accurate quantitative data, I’m curious to find out how they connect the dots. 

The major revelation of the poll was summarised thus “only about 2 in 10 Nigerians (19%) were found spending below N160 (US$1) for their meals in a day, with 80% spending above the threshold. Furthermore, on the assumption that people eat at least three times a day, the results indicate that less than 1% of Nigerians were found to spend below N160 daily.”



The disposable income and purchasing power of consumers in various regions across Nigeria and major economic factors such as local and international money transfers influence the demand and consumption of food items like instant noodles.

Edward Kingston, a consulting company, ranks Lagos, Kano, Oyo, Kaduna and Rivers as the states with the highest levels of consumption. Of the five, only Lagos produces more than it consumes. And of the 20 hotspots for growth by 2050, 5 of the cities are in Nigeria: Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

http://businessdayonline.com/2013/10/what-nigerians-are-eating/

Notice that the poll was only on food and revealed that only 20% eat food of less that a dollar. This is without beer, water, soft drinks and others. Now compare with these reports as well as your personal experience.

http://bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17015873

http://www.mydailynewswatchng.com/2013/10/08/62-per-cent-nigerians-still-live-poverty-line/

Poverty has risen in Nigeria, with almost 100 million people living on less than a $1 (£0.63) a day, despite economic growth, statistics have shown.

The National Bureau of Statistics said 60.9% of Nigerians in 2010 were living in "absolute poverty" - this figure had risen from 54.7% in 2004.

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