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808 Million People Trapped In Extreme Poverty – UN Raises Alarm

Published

4 months ago

March 2, 2026

The United Nations (UN) has raised fresh concerns over rising global poverty and hunger, warning that the world is off track to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030, a central target of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In a statement shared on its social media platforms on Monday, the global body disclosed that no fewer than 808 million people, representing one in every 10 persons worldwide, were living in extreme poverty in 2025.

The figure, according to the UN, reflects an upward revision from earlier projections following an update to the international poverty benchmark.

The organisation explained that the international poverty line is now defined as surviving on less than $3.00 per person per day at 2021 purchasing power parity.

“Eradicating extreme poverty for all people everywhere by 2030 is a pivotal aim of the Sustainable Development Goals,” the agency stated.

While acknowledging that extreme poverty has declined remarkably over the past decades, the UN lamented that progress has slowed significantly in recent years.

“If current trends continue, 8.9 per cent of the world’s population will still live in extreme poverty by 2030,” the statement added, underscoring the scale of the challenge.

Beyond poverty statistics, the UN described as “shocking” the resurgence of global hunger levels to figures last recorded in 2005.

It also noted a persistent increase in food prices across more countries compared to the 2015–2019 period, describing the combined crisis of poverty and food insecurity as a critical global concern.

The body warned that without decisive action, millions more could slide into deeper hardship as economic pressures and food inflation continue to bite.

Explaining the root causes of the crisis, the UN said poverty is multidimensional and driven by factors such as unemployment, social exclusion, and the high vulnerability of certain populations to disasters, diseases and other shocks that limit productivity.

It stressed that poverty and inequality extend beyond those directly affected, impacting broader society.

“As human beings, our well-being is linked to each other,” the statement read.

The organisation warned that widening inequality is detrimental to economic growth, weakens social cohesion, heightens political and social tensions, and in some cases fuels instability and conflict.

3.8 Billion People Lack Social Protection

On social protection, the UN emphasised that robust systems are essential to cushion shocks and prevent people from slipping into poverty.

Although many countries expanded safety nets during the COVID-19 pandemic, the global body revealed that 47.6 per cent of the world’s population, approximately 3.8 billion people, remained completely unprotected as of 2023.

This figure includes about 1.4 billion children.

Addressing the global cost-of-living crisis, the UN said 105 countries and territories introduced nearly 350 social protection measures between February 2022 and February 2023.

However, the organisation observed that about 80 per cent of these measures were short-term interventions.

“To achieve the Goals, countries will need to implement nationally appropriate universal and sustainable social protection systems for all,” the agency said.

The UN called for stronger collaboration among governments, the private sector and citizens to reverse current trends.

It urged individuals to actively participate in policymaking processes to ensure their rights are protected and their voices heard.

Governments, the body noted, must create enabling environments that generate productive employment and job opportunities for the poor and marginalised.

The private sector, it added, “has a major role to play in determining whether the growth it creates is inclusive and contributes to poverty reduction.”

The organisation further highlighted the role of science and innovation in tackling poverty, citing improvements in access to safe drinking water, reductions in deaths from water-borne diseases and enhanced hygiene standards as notable gains.

Maintaining that coordinated and sustained efforts across sectors remain critical, the UN insisted that urgent action is required to lift millions out of poverty and ensure that no one is left behind by 2030.

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271 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa arrive Lagos

Published

3 hours ago

June 30, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

Another batch of 271 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa arrived in Lagos on Tuesday under the Federal Government’s voluntary repatriation programme.

The Air Peace flight landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport shortly before 11 a.m. after departing Johannesburg at about 5 a.m. local time.

Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission received the returnees on arrival.

The latest evacuation is part of the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to assist Nigerians who have opted to return home amid rising anti-immigration tensions in South Africa.

The repatriation comes ahead of a June 30 deadline reportedly issued by vigilante groups and other organisations calling for undocumented migrants to leave the country.

Earlier this month, President Bola Tinubu approved the voluntary evacuation programme for Nigerians willing to return home from South Africa.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had also announced that five Air Peace evacuation flights were approved after more than 500 Nigerians registered for repatriation.

Before Tuesday’s operation, 328 Nigerians had already been evacuated in two batches. The first flight returned 262 Nigerians on June 11, while a second batch of 66 arrived in Lagos on June 25.

In a statement on Monday, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, confirmed that an Air Peace aircraft would depart Nigeria at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, June 29, 2026, and leave South Africa with the latest batch of evacuees at about 12:00 midnight South African time.

“The return flight is scheduled to depart South Africa at 12:00 midnight and is expected to arrive at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday morning. This will bring home 271 additional Nigerians who have volunteered to return,” Ebienfa said, adding that 700 more would be evacuated, depending on the situation on ground in South Africa.

Corroborating him, Air Peace spokesperson, Mr Efe Osifo-Whiskey, said the airline was set to evacuate 271 Nigerians, but said the flight was yet to leave Nigeria as at 3:50pm yesterday due to inexplicable delays.

“The aircraft has not departed yet. They will let me know when it is time, but I do not know the reason for the delay. We are looking at evacuating 271 people, but let us see what happens when they arrive in Lagos.”

Meanwhile, security was heightened across parts of South Africa on Tuesday as police maintained a visible presence in major cities following anti-immigration demonstrations.

In Johannesburg, many businesses remained closed and security personnel were deployed across parts of the city as commuters went about their daily activities.

The protests were organised by a coalition of small political parties and citizen-led vigilante groups demanding the removal of undocumented migrants.

In Durban, groups of protesters dressed in traditional Zulu attire gathered in a public park, singing and chanting “Abahambe” (“Let them go”) while security operatives monitored the situation.

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Court grants Sowore fresh N200m bail

Published

3 hours ago

June 30, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday admitted activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, to fresh bail in the sum of N200 million, weeks after revoking his earlier bail over his failure to appear for trial.

Justice Muhammad Umar, in a ruling, directed Sowore to provide two sureties before the bail could take effect.

One of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from his community, while the second must own landed property within the Federal Capital Territory.

The judge also ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the court registrar pending the determination of the case.

After granting the application, Justice Umar handed Sowore over to his lawyers and adjourned further proceedings until Monday, July 6, when the defendant is expected to open his defence.

Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services on allegations bordering on cybercrime, following social media posts in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal.”

He has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.

The court revoked Sowore’s bail on June 16 and issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to attend proceedings.

Sowore had explained that he was unable to appear because of a prior engagement in Lagos and sought an adjournment, but the prosecution, led by Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), opposed the request, urging the court to proceed with the trial.

Following the revocation of his bail, Sowore challenged the bench warrant and sought the trial judge’s recusal.

The application was dismissed, after which he was remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his fresh bail application.

Delivering Tuesday’s ruling, Justice Umar restored the defendant’s bail on fresh terms, requiring him to meet the N200 million bail bond and fulfil the conditions attached before regaining his freedom.

Reacting shortly after the ruling, Sowore described the bail conditions as part of the authorities’ continued efforts against him but insisted they would not deter his movement.

He said, “There is no bus on earth that can stop this revolution. We warned them, but they would not listen. But now, it appears a little bit of common sense is returning to them, and as a result, I was granted bail, requiring a traditional ruler, somebody with property in Abuja, and N200m and my international passport.

“They have always been after the passport. So nobody can come after our movement. Nobody can stop the movement. Nobody can stop the idea whose time has come.

“What I want to tell Nigerians is that it is not about my freedom; it is about the liberation of the Nigerian people.”

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Swiss museums return 18 Benin artefacts to Nigeria

Published

7 hours ago

June 30, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Nigeria has received 23 looted Benin Kingdom artefacts from Switzerland, marking another milestone in the country’s efforts to recover its stolen cultural heritage.

The collection includes 18 Benin artefacts returned by three Swiss museums, alongside five additional cultural objects that were previously seized by Swiss authorities.

The artefacts, commonly known as the Benin Bronzes, were looted during the 1897 British invasion of the Benin Kingdom. They include metal and ivory objects created at the royal court of Benin. The handover took place at the National Museum in Lagos, where the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) formally received the artefacts on behalf of the Federal Government.

During the ceremony, Switzerland’s Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider and Nigeria’s Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, signed an agreement on the transfer of cultural property, reinforcing cooperation between both countries to combat illicit trafficking and facilitate the return of stolen cultural items.

Of the 18 Benin artefacts, 14 were returned by the Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich, two by Museum Rietberg Zurich, and two by the Musée d’Ethnographie de Genève (MEG). The restitution followed years of provenance research under the Benin Initiative Switzerland, which confirmed the objects had been looted during the 1897 expedition.

Also returned were a bronze bracelet and four archaeological monoliths from Nigeria’s Niger Delta that had been confiscated during criminal investigations in Switzerland. The new bilateral agreement establishes a legal framework for cooperation on the import, export and repatriation of cultural property, while strengthening efforts to protect cultural heritage and prevent illegal trafficking.

Nigerian authorities said the returned artefacts represent an important part of the country’s history, identity and cultural heritage. Some will be displayed at the National Museum in Lagos, while most will eventually be returned to their place of origin in Edo State.

The restitution ceremony was attended by NCMM Director-General Olugbile Holloway, officials from the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, and directors of the three Swiss museums involved in the return of the artefacts.

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