The World Bank has said the number of Nigerians living in extreme poverty may increase by more than 30 million by 2030.
It added that the country will be home to 25 per cent of the world’s destitute people if the government fails to revive economic growth and create jobs.
It warned that the country could slide back into recession if crude prices fell by 25 per cent to $50 a barrel.
The international oil benchmark, Brent crude, traded around $61 per barrel on Monday.
The bank gave the warning in its 2019 Nigeria Economic Update Report, which was released on Monday.
It said, “Economic and demographic projections highlight the urgent need for reform.
“With population growth (estimated at 2.6 per cent) outpacing economic growth in a context of weak job creation, per capita income is falling. Today, an estimated 100 million Nigerians live on less than $1.90 per day.
Close to 80 per cent of poor households are in northern Nigeria, while employment creation and income gains have been concentrated on central and southern Nigeria.”
According to the report, Nigeria’s economy is expected to grow by 2.1 per cent in 2020 and 2021, compared to an annual population growth rate of 2.6 per cent.
It noted that Nigeria’s economy was recovering gradually from the 2016 recession, with growth projected to pick up from 1.9 per cent in 2018 to two per cent in 2019.
The World Bank, however, warned that the projected growth outlook “is vulnerable to external and domestic risks, including geopolitical and trade tensions that may affect inflows of private investment.”
“Nigeria has the opportunity to advance reforms to mitigate these risks amid growing public demand for greater economic opportunities,” it said.
The World Bank urged President Muhammadu Buhari to increase domestic revenue, remove trade restrictions and improve the predictability of economic policy.
