By: Ganiyu Olayinka
The European Union’s Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, has said Nigeria probably has the largest number of people living below the poverty threshold of any country in the world. He called poverty one of the country’s biggest challenges.
Mignot spoke in Abuja over the weekend at the 2026 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, where he urged the Federal Government, development partners and other stakeholders to keep up their efforts. “Today, Nigeria is probably the country in the world with the highest number of people living under the poverty threshold,” he said.
He cited figures showing that 133 million Nigerians were living in multidimensional poverty in 2022, and said estimates from various sources suggest the situation has since worsened. He described poverty as a major concern for Nigeria’s international partners that needs urgent and sustained attention.
EU humanitarian support
Mignot said the EU has committed almost €45 million in humanitarian assistance to Nigeria this year, mainly for conflict-affected and crisis-prone areas. The funding goes through the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. He said the EU works with the government, humanitarian organisations, development partners and local communities to link emergency aid to long-term resilience. Humanitarian interventions, he explained, meet immediate needs, while poverty reduction programmes aim to create lasting routes out of poverty.
Peace and rights
On the event’s theme, “United for Peace and Human Rights, Safe Homes for All,” he said meaningful poverty reduction is impossible without peace, security, dignity and respect for human rights. Households that cannot meet their basic needs, he added, can hardly feel secure or fully enjoy their rights.
Support for government programmes
Mignot acknowledged the Federal Government’s work through social investment programmes, targeted cash transfers, livelihood support and stronger social protection systems. He named the National Social Safety Net Programme, the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus, and the Renewed Hope Social Protection Programme. He also highlighted the Household Prosperity and Empowerment Social Protection Project, backed by the World Bank, which he said should improve support for vulnerable households and build their resilience.
The EU supports these efforts through its Supporting Sustainable Social Protection Systems in Nigeria programme, which operates in Abia, Benue, Oyo, Sokoto, Kebbi, Adamawa and Borno states. Partners include UNICEF, GIZ, the International Labour Organisation, ActionAid and Oxfam. The programme focuses on strengthening social protection policies, expanding social registers to identify more poor and vulnerable households, and improving data systems for planning and resource allocation.
He said multidimensional poverty assessments help governments spot overlapping deprivations in education, health care, nutrition and living standards, so interventions can be better targeted. The EU has also backed the review of the National Social Protection Policy, the creation of state-level policies and the drafting of a Social Protection Bill.
Call for coordination
Mignot called for closer links between humanitarian aid and long-term development work, noting that poor households are especially exposed to emergencies such as severe acute malnutrition. He welcomed the ongoing humanitarian transition, under which Nigerian authorities at all levels are expected to take on more responsibility for funding and coordinating humanitarian assistance.
He praised the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, for his efforts and reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s poverty reduction drive. Lasting progress, he said, needs a coordinated, long-term approach involving government, civil society, communities and international partners.
“Humanitarian needs cannot wait, and poverty either,” he said, urging stakeholders to treat the fight against poverty as a year-round priority.
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