Abuja: Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is grappling with a deepening poverty crisis that is leaving millions of its citizens hungry, according to Fr. Hyacinth Ichoku, Vice Chancellor of Veritas University Abuja. Speaking to ACI Africa on the sidelines of a three-day international conference on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Catholic priest attributed the crisis to poor governance, unequal wealth distribution, and policy failures.
“Poverty has become a daily, visible reality in Nigeria, walking the streets and invading homes,” Fr. Ichoku said, emphasizing the contradiction between the country’s abundant natural and human resources and the widespread hunger faced by its people. “Across cities and rural communities, millions go to bed hungry, lacking access to food, clean water, healthcare, or education. Despite our wealth, poverty is everywhere.”
Highlighting Sustainable Development Goal 1 (No Poverty), the priest described hunger as a “global scandal,” pointing out that over 318 million people worldwide go to bed without food each night. Drawing on his pastoral and professional experiences, he recounted heart-wrenching encounters, including a mother with six children who had gone to bed without a meal and a malnourished six-month-old child who died overnight due to lack of basic care. “These tragedies are preventable, yet they occur in a country where some individuals are extremely wealthy,” he lamented.
Fr. Ichoku stressed that the root causes of Nigeria’s poverty lie in governance failures, including poor policy formulation, weak implementation, and ineffective use of national budgets for wealth redistribution. “Political power in Nigeria often serves narrow interests rather than the common good,” he said. “Leaders prioritize their own access to resources rather than ensuring the population can meet basic needs.”
The priest also linked insecurity to poverty and inequality, noting that violence often emerges when people are denied access to education, healthcare, and livelihoods. “Boko Haram and other extremist movements thrive when people are deprived of basic necessities,” he explained. “Deprivation fuels rebellion; hunger and neglect breed insecurity.”
Beyond poverty, Fr. Ichoku highlighted inequality as a critical challenge in Nigeria, echoing SDG 10 on reducing disparities. He observed that while a small elite controls enormous wealth, the majority of Nigerians struggle to survive. This imbalance, he argued, is reinforced by prebendalism, where political power is viewed as the primary route to accessing national resources. “Once in power, leaders decide who gets what, leaving millions marginalized,” he said.
The Vice Chancellor warned that the consequences of inaction are severe, urging Nigerian leaders to move beyond rhetoric and confront the country’s “embarrassing realities.” “It’s not about speaking big grammar; it’s about addressing the pressing issues of our day,” Fr. Ichoku stressed, calling for immediate action to tackle hunger, inequality, and insecurity.
As Nigeria faces mounting economic and social pressures, voices like Fr. Ichoku’s underscore the urgent need for responsible governance, equitable wealth distribution, and concrete policy interventions to prevent millions from continuing to go to bed hungry each night.