John Makina, Oxfam’s country director in Nigeria, says the nation’s inequality crisis continues to enrich a privileged minority while trapping millions in poverty.
According to The Cable, he was speaking Thursday in Abuja at a dialogue themed “The Next 90%: Youth, Policy & A Fairer Nigeria”.
Makina said 10% of Nigerians controls 90% of the country’s resources, leaving over 83 million people to survive on less than ₦3,100 ($2) a day.
“This means not having enough money for good schools, healthcare and other basic amenities,” he said. “More than two-thirds of teenage girls in northern Nigeria cannot read or write. Women who work hard in our farmlands own only 13 percent of the land. This is the reality that holds our country back.”
In the report, Makina noted that young people remain largely excluded from decision-making, pointing out that no one under the age of 35 currently serves in the federal cabinet. He called youth inclusion in government “a strategic choice for our nation’s future, our economy, and our peace.”
Women also face deep marginalisation, he added, with only 4.2% of national assembly seats held by women. Despite dominating rural agriculture, women own just 13% of farmland, while female literacy stands at 35% compared to 59.5% for men.
Makina criticised tax policies that he said favour large corporations, citing an estimated ₦5 trillion in lost revenue in 2024 from tax incentives — 18.5% of that year’s federal budget.
He urged reforms including wealth and excess profit taxes, stronger public services, breaking up monopolies, and raising the national minimum wage to match rising living costs.
“Sixty-five percent of Nigeria’s workforce operates in the informal economy,” Makina said. “Formalising these businesses and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises with credit, training, and tax incentives can create well-paying jobs and reduce vulnerable employment, which affects 55% of Nigerian youths”, he said in the Cable report.
