***Shrinking Business Market
Nigeria’s poverty crisis is not only deepening household hardship but also shutting millions of people out of the consumer market, limiting business growth and weakening the country’s economic potential, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, has warned.
Doro said widespread poverty was denying businesses access to millions of potential customers while depriving the economy of productive workers whose talents could drive growth.
He challenged the private sector to see poverty reduction not merely as charity but as an investment in expanding Nigeria’s market, improving productivity and creating sustainable economic opportunities.
The minister spoke on Saturday in Abuja at the 2026 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, held under the theme, “United for Peace and Human Rights,” with a focus on “Safe Homes for All.”
Doro said Nigeria’s poverty burden represented a major constraint on economic participation, citing the 2022 National Multidimensional Poverty Index, which estimated that about 133 million Nigerians, or 63 per cent of the population at the time, were living in multidimensional poverty.
“When you have 63 per cent of your population living in multidimensional poverty, what you’re doing is excluding 63 per cent from economic activation,” he said.
According to him, millions of Nigerians who could contribute to economic growth remain constrained by inadequate income, poor living conditions and limited access to opportunities.
He argued that helping vulnerable households escape poverty would increase their purchasing power, widen the customer base for businesses and strengthen economic activity across different sectors.
The minister called for a shift in poverty reduction strategies from temporary relief to interventions that enable people to establish sustainable livelihoods.
“Palliatives help a family survive a crisis. Pathways ensure that that family does not need palliatives again,” he said.
He described the approach as moving “from palliatives to pathways”, arguing that government assistance should provide a foundation for self-reliance rather than leave households dependent on repeated emergency support.
Doro illustrated the challenge with the example of a hardworking mother whose family repeatedly loses its savings and livelihood whenever flooding, conflict or eviction forces them out of their home.
“That mother is not short of effort. She is short of a foundation,” he said.
He explained that safe and stable housing was essential to helping families protect their assets, educate their children, maintain their health and pursue economic opportunities.
Without adequate shelter, sanitation, employment and access to essential services, he warned, vulnerable households could remain trapped in a cycle of deprivation despite their efforts to improve their circumstances.
Doro said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was pursuing a coordinated response through the Household Prosperity and Economic Social Protection Project and the ministry’s One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System.
He said the initiatives were designed to connect humanitarian assistance with social protection, economic inclusion and sustainable pathways to self-reliance.
The minister called for stronger collaboration among federal, state and local governments, development partners, financial institutions and private businesses to expand opportunities for vulnerable Nigerians.
He also stressed the need for durable solutions for internally displaced persons, including safe resettlement and access to sustainable livelihoods.
According to him, poverty reduction is closely connected to peace and security, as economic exclusion can deepen social tensions and leave vulnerable communities struggling to recover from crises.
Doro urged stakeholders to assess progress through measurable improvements in people’s lives, including access to safe homes, sustainable livelihoods and the ability of families to withstand economic shocks without repeatedly relying on emergency assistance.
He maintained that expanding economic opportunities for poor households would deliver benefits beyond individual families by strengthening the workforce, increasing consumer demand and supporting business expansion.
For Nigeria’s private sector, the minister’s message was clear: millions of people excluded from economic participation represent not only a social challenge but also a market that remains largely untapped.