Gombe State Has The Lowest Poverty Rate In The Northeast – UNICEF Reports

According to the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Gombe State has the lowest poverty rate in the Northeast.

According to UNICEF, this figure is based on a report from the National Bureau of Statistics.

Mr Yusuf Auta, the Social Policy Specialist at UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, made the discovery on Monday during a workshop on Gombe State Social Protection Policy Implementation Plan and Budget Development.

He commended the state government’s numerous actions aimed at boosting the state’s population.

Auta stated, “Gombe State has one of the lowest poverty rates in the North-East, according to the National Bureau of Statistics’ 2019 Poverty and Inequality in Nigeria.”

He added that the data were also included in the state’s recently established social protection strategy document.

Auta further noted that multidimensional poverty exists among children in Gombe state, as it does in all of Nigeria’s states. He noted that a child is considered multidimensionally impoverished if he or she is deprived of any three of the following: nutrition, health, water, sanitation, education, housing, or information.

“With the State Government’s attempt to provide a “Better life for everyone,” as stated and envisioned in its social protection policy statement, the state’s children will grow up in an environment that will enable them to compete well with children worldwide,” he said.

Auta complimented the state government for putting together the policy statement, noting that it will set the state on a road of growth and development. He stated that if executed, the proposal will benefit the state’s children and women.

“UNICEF is pleased to be a part of this process because it directly affects women and children’s lives. UNICEF prioritizes women and children because they embody the development ethic.
UNICEF’s support for women and children to live better lives is based on social protection policy.

“So, we are here to develop an implementation strategy that is consistent with the state’s financial allocation,” he explained.