ActionAid
Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation, with special interest in poverty
eradication has stated that “Nigerians deserve to begin to feel the impact of
governance in a much improved way”.
In a
statement issued by the organisation in commemoration of Nigeria’s 52 years of
independence, the anti-poverty agency observed that the country, which has one
of the greatest potential of becoming a leading economy in the world is yet to
attain the dream many Nigerians had at independence 52 years.
“The month
of October was the most significant month in the history of the Nigeria nation.
The month had for several years signified for many Nigerians the period of celebration
of freedom from foreign rule and a rekindling of hope of a virile nation with
capacity for taking care of her citizens.”
According to
the Country director of ActionAid Nigeria, Dr. Hussaini Abdu, “These potentials
are still achievable with focused planning and a pro-people agenda”.
Nigeria, as the ActionAid country director
pointed out, has enormous resources, human and materials that very few nations
have. “Not many nations have such space, blue and green, as Nigeria. Its
creeks, waterways, rivers, streams and arable land are such that without
mineral resources the country would remain one of the most solvent nations in
the world. The nation’s potential to be one of the biggest economies in the
world is further enhanced with its large deposits of solid mineral resources,
almost all of them at the high commercial quality. The icing on the cake was
the discovery of oil which has since the beginning of its exploration thrown up
the country as one of the highest income earning nations. And the country has
continued to discover more oil deposits in locations within its territory,”
Abdu commented.
He therefore
demanded that these resources be put to better use for not just the economic
development of the country, but the liberation of the mass of people who still
live in abject poverty. “That Nigeria has such huge potentials is enough reason
to conclude that there is no justifiable reason for as many as 61.9% of the
citizenry to continue to live in absolute poverty as revealed by government’s owned
national Bureau of Statistics”.
While
acknowledging that some efforts have been made at addressing poverty situation
in Nigeria at different times through the introduction of such structures as
NAPEP, NDE, SMEDAN, NDDC, he said that such agencies still have more to do in
addressing the state of poverty in Nigeria.
Noting with
dismay the recent loss of lives and property in parts of the country as a
result of flood, Abdu commented that these incidences are preventable as
admitted by the Minister for Water resources, Sarah Ochekpe who revealed that
successive governments have failed to respond appropriately to the threat of
flood by building buffer dams.
He commented
that “It is common knowledge that the most vulnerable and invariably the worst
affected people are poor people who live in underdeveloped and neglected
communities. Most of these have no means or capability to provide for
themselves alternative shelter. And in the case of farming communities have no
other locations where they could continue to work and provide for themselves
and their families.”
He therefore
demanded that “the federal government owe it as an obligation to ensure that
relevant agencies have make relevant preparations to protect the people and
ensure their rights to life, right to health, right to livelihood and right to
a dignified life. It is the responsibility of government and its agencies to
ensure these rights as enshrined in the country’s constitution.”
The
anti-poverty agency boss expressed concern that the situation of poverty has
further aggravated state of insecurity in the nation. “Incidences of bomb
blasts, killings, robbery, kidnaps, road accidents and floods have been the
leading news in recent times.
“This
poverty situation has turned many Nigerians, especially the youths from poor
background who have been neglected by the state into desperate persons who in
extreme situation take to the sometimes only available option of crime and
violent forms of protest as evident in the militancy in the Niger Delta and
recently the Boko Haram menace. The latent anger among certain youths in the
country has also made many of them vulnerable recruits into sectional and
communal violent incidents.”
He therefore
demanded that “the government needs to review it poverty intervention project,
involve people and their agencies in their redesign and make people the centre
of development plans in the country. More importantly, there is an urgent need
for a properly thought out social safety net plan which must necessarily come
with a realistic implementation plan if the cases of poverty and attendant
insecurity would be addressed”
The current
armed response to security situation Abdu advised should not be viewed by the
federal government as the only response to the increasing state of insecurity.
“It is also important to include a decisive strategy and action to address
issues of poverty and exclusion. This way we can ensure that this crises do not
erupt in other parts of the country or resurface in same places after a while”,
Abdu advised.
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