Despite significant oil wealth, most of which bypasses the population into the hands of wealthy oil companies resulting in the establishment of groups such as MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta) which is committed to taking the oil industry back for the local Nigerian people and using revenues to help clear up the environmental disaster in the Delta, 40%, or 83 million, Nigerians live in poverty (2020).

Nigeria is in 161st place out of 191 countries and territories in 2021 when ranked in terms of life expectancy, literacy, access to knowledge and the living standards of a country.

In terms of education, the Nigerian government reported in 2021 that an estimated 10,193,918 children were out school making Nigeria the country with the highest number of Out-of-School Children in sub-Sahara Africa. There are many reasons for this, however a major factor is the number of children (an estimated twelve million between the ages of 10-14yrs) who are forced into domestic servitude; some even sold to keep their family's head above water with Gabon, Cameroon, Niger, Italy, Spain, Benin and Saudi Arabia being known destinations.

Some parents sell their children in the belief that they will have a better life away from often single houses in urban areas that are home to up to ten other families with no private space, bedrooms and shared sanitation facilities. Most Nigerian woman have 5.32 children (2019).

For more about Nigeria check out our profile articles above.