Lagos is The economic power of Nigerianevertheless it has some certainty worst slums in the country.
Lagos slums are characterised by high levels of poverty – a state of lack of sufficient resources to fulfill basic living needs comparable to food, water, shelter, health care and education.
Poverty is multidimensional. It’s not just about money. However, poverty in Lagos slums has often been studied using traditional methods that focus mainly on income thresholds. An individual is considered poor if his or her income falls below a certain level. This approach takes into consideration financial difficulties. However, it ignores other elements of poverty, comparable to lack of access to education, health care, clean water and decent living conditions.
Measuring poverty requires: multidimensional approachand not simply income approach. Multidimensional poverty means taking a look at all elements of poverty to get a fuller picture of what it means to live in poverty. It helps policymakers and researchers understand that even with a certain income, an individual should struggle because they lack other essential services.
IN test poverty in the slums of Lagos State, two other development economists and I used a mathematical framework to model multidimensional poverty. We used the so-called fuzzy set approach. It was developed in the Nineteen Nineties as a substitute for purely monetary measures of poverty.
The traditional monetary approach often classifies people as “poor” or “non-poor” based on specific cut-off points. In fact, poverty covers a large spectrum, and other people may experience different levels of poverty in different elements of their lives. A fuzzy set approach explains this by assigning membership grades to different poverty rates.
Using a multidimensional index, we found significant differences in poverty rates in slums in Lagos State. Our insights will enable economists and policymakers to see the various ways in which individuals in slums are deprived. This, in turn, should help them understand the best way to improve their lives in a more focused and effective way.
Context and methodological approach
Our study focused on five large slums situated near the coastline in Lagos State. They belong to the slums World Bank decided to upgrade as a part of a $200 million loan project to enhance water drainage and solid waste management.
We chosen 400 respondents from five slums: Makoko, Iwaya, Ilaje, Ijora Badia and Amukoko.
According to Avijit Hazra and Nithya J. Gogtaybiostatistics and research methodology researchers, a minimum of 384 samples is appropriate for a big population. Nevertheless, the sample chosen for this study limits the generalizability of the outcomes to other slums, especially those with different characteristics.
Arrangements
The multidimensional poverty rate was highest in Makoko and Iwaya. These results indicate severe poverty as they exceed the 0.50 threshold.
In contrast, Amukoko had the bottom multidimensional poverty rate, showing relatively less severe deprivation across all indicators.
Makoko and Iwaya are particularly poor in areas comparable to education, sanitation and nutrition. This explains the upper level of poverty in comparison with other communities.
Makoko’s location on the coast, with makeshift buildings and poor infrastructure, increases its vulnerability. Iwaya faces similar challenges in education and health care. These aspects make each areas more deprived than other slums.
Of the three broad dimensions of poverty measured, education was found to be probably the most deprived in all communities. This highlighted the limited formal education amongst residents.
In particular, Makoko and Iwaya showed the best deprivation at college. Despite some improvements, particularly in child enrollment, these communities still face severe deprivation.
The second dimension characterised by severe deprivation was the way of life. There were differences in different slums. Makoko and Iwaya had greater sanitation challenges.
The third dimension in the severe deprivation category was health. Indicators included mortality and nutrition. They were high in many slums, contributing significantly to their multidimensional poverty rates.
Other communities comparable to Amukoko (0.0312) showed higher sanitation performance. On the opposite hand, indicators for electricity, flooring and cooking fuel generally showed lower levels of poverty, with most slums scoring around 0.03 or below in these categories.
The occurrence of each serious and minor diseases combined with insufficient medical care contributed to high mortality.
Poor sanitation can even cause health problems. In Makoko and Iwaya, toilets and waste management were poor, and waste was often dumped into waterways.
Despite this, personal hygiene practices comparable to using clean water, soap, and regular brushing were common. This helped keep the sanitation index relatively low in comparison with other aspects that affect health.
Other slums had relatively higher organized garbage collection systems and usually higher sanitation practices.
What ought to be done
Policymakers should prioritize education-focused initiatives. This should include improving access to high-quality schools, providing scholarships and creating adult literacy programs.
The study also highlighted sanitation challenges, especially in Makoko and Iwaya. There is a necessity to enhance infrastructure in these areas, comparable to higher sanitation, waste management systems and access to wash water.
Policies should concentrate on improving sanitation services to scale back health risks and improve living conditions.
However, differences in poverty rates across slums indicate different levels of poverty, suggesting that a one-size-fits-all approach will not be effective.
Coastal slums comparable to Makoko and Iwaya require more intensive interventions in comparison with slums situated directly on the coastal lines comparable to Amukoko.
Policymakers should focus resources where they’re needed most to have the best impact.
Slums comparable to Ilaje and Ijora Badia are near the acute poverty line. Policymakers must take proactive motion to forestall the severe deprivation of those communities.
Finally, it is necessary to make use of data to discover priority areas and develop targeted interventions to enhance the standard of lifetime of slum dwellers.
Rather than counting on generalized approaches, findings from this study can facilitate the design of specific policies that address the distinct needs of every community.