Nigeria’s Poverty, Malnutrition Level Is Worrisome
As Nigeria is now ranked 103 out of 121 countries in the 2022 Global Hunger Index (GHI), the Zone 3A, Region 3 of the Lions Clubs International, District 404B2 Nigeria has embarked on a project to feed indigent people in the society to tackle malnutrition.
Stating this was Chairperson, Zone 3A, Region 3 of the Lions Clubs International, District 404B2 Nigeria, Lion Evelyn Agbonifo, who expressed concern, noting that Nigeria’s position in the GHI signifies that the nation has a level of hunger and malnutrition that is serious and requires urgent attention.
Agbonifo made the observation at the distribution of 4.5kg packaged rice to over 500 indigent Lagosians under the programme tagged “Relieving The Hunger”
Every minute, more than six Nigerians enter the extreme poverty bracket as the number of poor persons in the country race toward the 95.1 million projected this year by the World Bank
According to the World Bank, in its latest 2022 Poverty and Prosperity Report, Nigeria contributed three million people to global extreme poverty, while the country is “home to a large share of the global extreme poor.”
The programme, held at the weekend at the Pen Cinema Agege Under Bridge was jointly put together by the three Lions Clubs under Zone 3A, Region 3 – Ikeja Metro Lions Club, Ikeja Onyx Lions Club, and Lagos Legacy Lions Club.
Speaking with our correspondent, Lion Agbonifo said the project, which is one of the monthly activities of the Lions is designed to support the less-privileged in the communities towards achieving a healthy society.
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“This project is all about feeding the hunger. One of the global causes of Lions International is to relieve hunger and as you can see is a joint activity. Every month we carry out activities and as the Zone 3A chairperson, I’ve three Lions clubs under me – Ikeja Onyx, Ikeja Metro, and Lagos Legacy. So the three clubs came together to impact Pen Cinema Community today.
“Our aim is to ensure that all less-privileged around our community or the world have access to nutrition. Most of the time over two hundred million people go to bed without food because there is a lot of poverty in Nigeria and this is worrisome. Lions all over the world will fight against it and make sure that there is zero hunger in the world. Though they cannot reach out to everybody, we’ve different clubs all over the region,” Lion Agbonifo said.
Lion Princess Adewunmi Akinyemi, Club Director of Lagos Legacy Lions Club in her own response, explained that the choice of Pen Cinema Under Bridge Community was to capture the real indigent persons.
“When you look at the community of Pen Cinema you will notice that we have a lot of less-privileged, who at times find it difficult to feed. Some are homeless and beggars,” she noted.
Also speaking at the event, the President of Ikeja Metro Lions Club, Lion Godson Anigbo, Said: “We’ve gathered here today to continue with the relieving the hunger project. We did it last month in Alausa, now we are doing it here in Agege Pen Cinema Under Bridge because we have a lot of indigent people here. We planned for 500 people but we have a huge crowd here; it shows that the economy of the country is really bad. I just hope that the incoming government will change things because people are really hungry in fact there’s hunger in the land.
Sunday Adeniji, who spoke on behalf of the community urged other organisations to emulate the gesture of Lions International for a better society.
“I’ve been hearing of Lions Club since I was in primary school so I appreciate what they are doing. I pray for them to do more than we are expecting so that God will bless them and it will not be the last one for them to do. If other organisations can emulate what Lions clubs are doing we’ll not be shouting of hunger in the country.”
