World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri, has disclosed that Nigeria ranked lowest in the world in public spending and revenues.
The World Bank also said it was going to inject the sum of $700 million for adolescent girls education in 19 states of the country.
He spoke during a parliamentary summit on fast-tracking Nigeria’s demographic transition, organised by the Office of the Speaker, House of Representatives and the National Population Commission, supported by the World Bank in Abuja.
Chaudhuri explained that states would need more in offering basic services for their indigenes.
He said, “Nigeria has the lowest level of public spending in the world. 11, 12 percent of GDP, that’s not enough to sustain the basic services that every state needs to provide for its people. Basic law and order, primary health care, investing in its people and providing basic infrastructure.
“Part of the reason that’s not there, is because Nigeria has the lowest level of revenues. A big part of that is there isn’t a trust among citizens, that if citizens pay taxes the states will not use it properly.
“The National Assembly can play such an important role to ensure accountability. To ensure that every funds or resources that gets past them to the states, are used directly to translate into services for ordinary Nigerians.
He said the World Bank was set to inject the sum of $700 million for adolescent girls education in 19 states of the country.
According to him, the World Bank was committed in supporting Nigeria in empowering adolescent girls and youths, adding that it would help the nation in achieving its demographic transition.
He said, “The key in some ways to helping realise Nigeria’s demographic dividend is to make sure that the girl-child stays in school. We have already provided $500 million in financing and we are about to put in another $700 million consensual financing for adolescent girls. Now it’s going up to 19 states from 7 states across Nigeria.
“It’s all about keeping adolescent girls in school. It’s about primary health care, ensuring that maternal, child and reproductive health services are provided. All of these will require support from the government.”
