Despite its wealth, Nigeria fails millions on education, healthcare, jobs — Report

Nigeria is failing to protect the fundamental rights of millions of its citizens, according to a new global human rights assessment. The Human Rights Measurement Initiative's (HRMI) 2026 Rights Tracker report places Africa's most populous nation in the "very bad" category for several economic and social rights indicators, despite minor improvements over the past two decades.

The report highlights Nigeria's "very bad" scores in key areas: 5.8% for quality education, 58.6% for food, 48.8% for health, 41% for housing, and 34.9% for the right to work. The education score is the second-lowest globally, indicating the country is achieving only a fraction of its potential in educational outcomes. This comes amid persistent issues like a large population of out-of-school children, poor infrastructure, and inadequate funding.

The right to work is Nigeria's weakest performance area, reflecting persistent obstacles to decent employment and economic inclusion. "The rights we measure are absolutely fundamental," said HRMI Co-Executive Director Thalia Kehoe Rowden. "Nigeria’s leaders will need to make significant changes to improve their people’s quality of life. Better lives for its people are within its grasp, if leaders choose to take action."

While the report acknowledges some progress in health over the last 20 years, improvements remain slow and uneven. Nigeria's reproductive health score is 22%, significantly lower than its adult health (57.1%) and child health (67.2%) scores. This disparity suggests that advancements in some healthcare areas have not extended to reproductive health services, which continue to pose a major challenge.

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The rights we measure are absolutely fundamental. Nigeria’s leaders will need to make significant changes to improve their people’s quality of life. Better lives for its people are within its grasp, if leaders choose to take action.