Daniel Dooga, teacher, 48, Benue State
Nigeria is not a low income nation. However, there’s a high course of corrupt practices and greed. The nation can only improve when our leadership is able to turn around towards greater matters instead of pettiness.
Rilwan Isah Emeje, 30, Civil servant, Abuja
Looking at the report which classifies Nigeria as a lower income country it says in Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle-Income Countries (MICs) – with a Gross Domestic Income (GDI) per capita between US$1,026 and US$12,475 – are divided into Upper-Middle-Income Countries and Lower Middle-Income countries. Unfortunately Nigeria falls under the lower income countries.
Abubakar Musa Waziri, Journalist, 41, Bauchi
As a nation, Nigeria is a high income country and is very rich. However, when you look at the earnings of its average citizens, it could be seen as a low income one, this is because a large percentage of its population is poor.
Eleojo Agama-Ebeh, Lecturer, Kogi State University, Anyigba
Nigeria has never been a high income country to start with. We may not be among the lowest income countries but many odds are against us.
For IMF to say that, they would have carried out their research. Poverty rate is very high. How much is our minimum wage in terms of the dollar rate?
Sylvester A. Ogba, 35, Legal practitioner/Lecturer, UK
To me, Nigeria is indisputably a low income country. The larger percentage of citizenry and invariably the workforce earn a miserable N18, 000 per month. The amount can hardly take care of their basic needs. The general explanation as to why I consider Nigeria a low income nation is increasing servitude, starvation and low wages. I am equally not unmindful of the life expectancy which still stands at 47 years, the inaccessibility of potable water, high mortality rate, diseases and child labour. Of course, these are features of a low income nation.
Aliyu Mahmud Amoto, 28, Businessman, Abuja
I agree with the IMF rating that Nigeria is a low income nation. This is considering the Gross Domestic Product of the economy which is a direct result of the number of exports the country is able to achieve per annum. Presently, Nigeria is more of an import dependent country. Invariably, this has a direct influence on the income of the nation.
Saliu Ismail Oluwatosin, 21, Banking & Finance student, Ekiti
The reason why Nigeria was placed as a low income country is that we depend much on crude oil. There are low exportation of goods. What we do is more of importing. I would regard Nigeria as a low income country because our Gross Domestic Product is nothing to write home about. We produce less than our daily consumption.
Omale Theophilus Ocholi, 34, Lecturer, Kogi State University, Anyigba
Nigeria became a low income country as soon as she could no longer determine the value of her currency and stability of such values. As long as any nation is fully depending on foreign products to survive, that nation can hardly escape being a low income nation.
