ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has raised the alarm over the worsening conditions confronting millions of Nigerians, warning that rising poverty, insecurity, debt servicing, food inflation, and climate-related disasters are placing the country’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens under unprecedented pressure.
The organisation’s General Assembly and Board of Directors raised the alarm in Abuja at the weekend after its Annual General Meeting, where they reviewed the state of the nation and expressed concern over developments they said continued to erode the welfare and security of ordinary Nigerians.
The state-of-the-nation press conference was jointly addressed by the Convener of the General Assembly, Mr. Ohio Akoudo Ifiabor; the AAN Country Director, Dr. Andrew Mamedu; and other executive members of the board.
The assembly, while also calling for action against rising sexual and gender-based violence, urged victims to report cases to the appropriate authorities, noting that the organisation has systems in place, including projects designed to respond within 48 hours.
This is in addition to AAN’s Strategic Emergency Fund, which enables the organisation to respond appropriately and decisively whenever the need arises.
The forum, however, welcomed recent government initiatives, including the renewed legislative push for state police, the Federal Executive Council’s approval of comprehensive reforms to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and the introduction of a community-level flood forecasting system.
The AAN General Assembly, however, noted that Nigerians were still waiting to see whether these measures would translate into tangible improvements in security, livelihoods, and prosperity.
The organisation said that while Nigeria’s external reserves had reportedly risen to about $51.5 billion, the country’s total public debt had also climbed to ₦156.28 trillion, with $11.6 billion earmarked for debt servicing in 2026 alone.
It said the debt servicing obligation was higher than the country’s combined expenditure on education, health, and agriculture, raising serious questions about the sustainability of public finances and the government’s ability to invest in human development.
The assembly further cited a World Bank warning that 79 per cent of Nigerians remained poor or vulnerable to falling into poverty, while the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported a June headline inflation rate of 15.91 per cent.
It said the continuing rise in food prices, petrol prices above ₦1,100 per litre, high transportation costs, and the inadequacy of the ₦70,000 minimum wage had combined to make it increasingly difficult for Nigerian families to meet their basic needs.
The organisation also expressed serious concern over the worsening attacks on schools and children.
The ActionAid General Assembly noted that at least 124 schoolchildren and students were abducted between May and July 2026 alone in Oyo, Borno, and Zamfara states, while many other children and teachers abducted in other parts of the country remained in captivity.
The organisation said the situation underscored the growing threat to education and the safety of learners, warning that the country could not afford to allow insecurity to destroy access to education.
It also raised concerns over the 2026 flood outlook, noting that the Federal Government had placed 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory on high flood alert.
It said more than 14,000 communities, nearly 5,000 health facilities, and over 10,000 schools were at risk between July and September.
“Nigeria cannot keep responding to a disaster it predicts every single year,” ActionAid said, calling on state and local governments to clear blocked drainage channels and halt further construction on known floodplains.
The organisation urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and state emergency management agencies to be fully resourced and prepared throughout the high-risk period.
On security, ActionAid called for a fundamental shift from reactive military responses to a comprehensive strategy based on community intelligence, trust, and accountability.
It said the spread of banditry into states including Oyo, Kogi, Lagos, Zamfara, and Ogun, alongside recurring violence in Plateau State, demanded “honest structural rethinking, not incremental adjustments.”
The organisation also welcomed the renewed push for state police, noting that the Senate had passed a constitutional amendment bill, while President Bola Tinubu had transmitted a fresh Constitution Alteration Bill to the House of Representatives.
It urged the National Assembly to act with urgency while preserving safeguards against political abuse and establishing a credible funding framework to ensure that poorer states were not left with the weakest security systems.
ActionAid further called on the Federal Government to plug revenue leakages and opaque deductions from allocations to states and local governments, publish full and auditable accounts of deductions at source, and develop a credible debt management framework capable of reducing the burden of debt servicing.
On taxation, ActionAid said it supported the public health objective behind the proposed sugar tax reform but warned that its current design could harm small retailers, distributors, and producers.
It called for an urgent review of the tax’s impact on small businesses, including possible relief measures and phased implementation, while insisting that revenue generated from the tax should be transparently tracked and dedicated to primary healthcare in underserved communities.
The organisation also expressed concern over Nigeria’s social protection schemes, warning that exclusion errors, leakages, and political capture had undermined their effectiveness.
With nearly 35 million Nigerians facing acute food insecurity during the 2026 lean season, ActionAid called for an audit of social protection programmes, the publication of beneficiary data, and measures to close delivery gaps, with women, young people, and rural communities prioritised.
The organisation further urged the government to address the cholera outbreak in Borno State and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases through increased investment in primary healthcare.
It called for the full capitalisation and disbursement of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, functional health centres in rural and underserved communities, adequate staffing and medicines, and the timely payment of and support for community health workers.
On the 2027 general elections, ActionAid said the recent Ekiti State governorship election and other legislative by-elections should serve as lessons for electoral reforms.
While acknowledging that the Ekiti election was largely peaceful and featured improved logistics, it expressed concern over allegations of vote-buying, voter intimidation, malfunctioning accreditation equipment, and inconsistencies among ballot papers, result sheets, and the list of candidates published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The organisation urged INEC to take concrete steps to demonstrate its neutrality and treat the reported irregularities as urgent warnings ahead of the 2027 general elections.
ActionAid also criticised the continued high price of petrol, saying recent reductions in the ex-depot price had not provided sufficient relief to consumers.
It expressed concern over the reported dollar pricing of local fuel sales by the Dangote Refinery, warning that exchange rate exposure could further drive up petrol, transportation, and food prices.
The organisation urged the Federal Government to ensure that reductions in ex-depot prices translated into lower retail prices, while calling on the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to monitor retail outlets and prevent anti-competitive practices, market manipulation, and exploitative pricing.
ActionAid urged civil society organisations, the media, faith communities, and Nigerians to continue speaking up, holding the government accountable, and standing with families whose children remained in captivity.
