Daybreak, Politics, Entertainment, Sport

Tag: Poverty

  • My Administration Has Lifted 10.5 Million People Out Of Poverty – Buhari

    My Administration Has Lifted 10.5 Million People Out Of Poverty – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration has lifted 10.5 million people out of poverty.

    Buhari said this in his Democracy Day broadcast on Saturday.

    He listed farmers, small-scale traders, artisans, market women among the class of persons whose lives have improved under him.

    The president also said his government is on track to fulfil its promise to lift 100 million persons out of poverty.

    “I will be the first to admit that in spite of our efforts and achievements which are there for all to see, there is still much more to be done and we are doing our best in the face of scarce resources and galloping population growth rate that consistently outstrips our capacity to provide jobs for our populace. Our over-all economic target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years is our goal notwithstanding COVID-19.”

    “In the last two years we lifted 10.5 million people out of poverty – farmers, small-scale traders, artisans, market women and the like.

    “I am very convinced that this 100 million target can be met and this informed the development of a National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy. The specific details of this accelerated strategy will be unveiled shortly.

    “In the last one year, Nigeria and the whole world faced COVID-19 for which no one was fully prepared.

    “Our response to the pandemic involved making hard choices in balancing livelihoods and public health concerns. You are all living witnesses to how successful this has been due to a number of pro-active measures put in place. Our response to COVID-19 is globally acclaimed.”

  • Another #EndSARS looms as Falana, Falz, others protest insecurity, poverty in Lagos

    Another #EndSARS looms as Falana, Falz, others protest insecurity, poverty in Lagos

    Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), and his Musician son, Folarin, aka Falz, along with scores of Lagosians took to the streets on Monday to protest against the insecurity and poverty ravaging the country.

    The protesters, under the aegis of the Peoples Alternative Political Movement, marched from the busy Ikeja Bus Stop to the Governor’s Office through the Secretariat to the Lagos State House of Assembly chanting protest songs.

    The movement is a coalition of hundreds of groups including the Nigeria Labour Congress and its affiliates, the Alliance On Surviving COVID 19 And Beyond; Joint Action Front; Coalition Of Northern Groups; Green Alliance Nigeria; CONGOS – Edo; North East Development Association and their respective affiliates.

    The demonstration, which was tagged, ‘Enough is Enough’, lasted for several hours as youths carried placards which read, ‘No to Exploitation and Multiple Taxation’, ‘Provide Jobs or Unemployment Benefits for Youths’, ‘Provide Security in Schools’, ‘End Kidnapping and Banditry’ and ‘Stop Killings, Secure Nigeria’.

    The protesters, which included trade unions, civil society, students, farmers and peasants, were led by Jaye Gaskiya, a foremost activist.

    Gaskiya said the protest was organised to express displeasure over how badly the country had degenerated.

    He expressed worry that Nigeria, characterised by extreme poverty, arms proliferation, religious intolerance, the rise of hate and ethnic nationalism is moving towards social upheavals due to exploitation of the people, greed and avarice of a spineless political class that has reached its wits end.

    A statement issued captured seven key demands which include the immediate convening of the Nigeria Police Council to discuss the security challenges and an end to the arbitrary sacking of workers.

    It further stated, “We reject any plans to further hike energy costs – in price of fuel and electricity tariff; as these costs are not only already at unbearable levels, but also because these price hikes are the major cause of rising and unbearable costs of living, expressed in rising inflation.”

  • Gov Zulum Pencils Poverty and Illiteracy as Responsible Factors for Insurgency in Nigeria

    Gov Zulum Pencils Poverty and Illiteracy as Responsible Factors for Insurgency in Nigeria

    From DAUDA R PAM-MAIDUGURI

    Poverty and illiteracy has been identified as one of the major  factors responsible for insurgency in the country.

    Borno Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum stated this during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nasarawa state government and Flour Mills Nigeria in Abuja, with the view to establish a sugar company in Toto local government of Nassarawa state.

    Governor Zulum also used the occasion to advise his Nassarawa state counterpart, Abdullah Sule, to insist that majority of workers of the company must be indigenes of the state.

    According to him, the establishment of the company would create jobs and stimulate the economy that would support the state and the nation.

    Zulum was empatic as he  identified poverty, illiteracy, high inequality and environmental degradation as some of the root causes of insurgency.

    “I am, therefore advising governor Sule to establish strong institutional arrangements that would ensure the sustainability of the agreement.

    “Many at times in Nigeria, programmes do not last long due to poor institutional arrangements for implementation.

    “It is my sincere prayer that the Flour Mills Nigeria will take into consideration the plight of the indigenes of Nasarawa state, first in terms of local content development and recruitment,” Zulum stated.

    He explained that considering the plight of the indigenes of the state was key to guaranteeing security and smooth operations of the company in Nasarawa.

    And further advised, that under no circumstances should the governor allow the FMN to recruit people contrary to the terms of agreement, noting that, the company’s failure to partner with the indigenes could trigger the kind of security challenges occurring in other parts of the country, as he did not want such an ugly situation to be witnessed in Nasarawa state.

    Borno state, he hinted, would also partner with the Flour Mills of Nigeria, soon on an investment opportunity for the overall development of his, borno, state.

  • Poverty of Governance and Illegal Weapons in Circulation

    Poverty of Governance and Illegal Weapons in Circulation

    By Adefolarin A. Olamilekan

    Governance in Nigeria in recent times especially since the return of civil rule in 1999 increasingly attracts significant attention. The attraction is a sad tale of incessant governance failure to address the insecurity situation all over the country. There is a sense in which the current situation makes a case for a wider understanding and recognition of governance, especially with millions of illegal weapon circulation in Nigeria. The nation is not in a palatable one, but concerns over safety of citizens. There is inherent cry for help by the people for a descent existence in terms of security of life and properties. As of today, the menace of illegal weapons in circulation in the land is a huge threat to our economy sustenance, unity and co-existence. It is in this that we discover the nexus between governance and millions of illegal weapon in circulation being a salient matter at this point of our national life.

    The current drift and drain of governance in Nigerians in the last two decades have position many Nigerian to be conscientized by the practical experience of poverty of governance. Therefore, it is also very imperative for us to point out what governance entails in it simple sense, as well as in the context of this piece.

    The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary Sixth Edition defines governance as an activity of controlling a country or the way in which a country or institution is controlled. Thus, governance involves a process of control and controlling activity in a country, including arms and weapons in circulation. Again, governance can be seen as the process whereby constituted official elements wield powers, authority and enact policies concerning public life and economic decision for overall social development. However, this governance process takes in-depth application of suitable and influential’s decision that impacts on the management and distribution of resources that includes revenues, man and materials. Moreso, it involves the regulation, implementation and enforcement of desirable policies for target objectives, goals and aspiration through capacity. Therefore, governance is simply controlling for desirable development result of which, safeguarding life and properties of citizens is key through exact regulations of arms and weapons is vital.

    However, many reasons is been advanced to explain the continued inexorable poverty of governance in Nigeria. For instance poor institutional capacity leads to government failure, so also is the wider inequality, access to justice and fairness that create a burden of oppression and repression. In addition to this is the ever rising provocation of nepotism and bigotry, ethnic sentiment that amputate national coercion in decision making, couple with negligence on the part of political representatives.

    Having said, the recent alarm raised by the Chairman of the National Peace Committee (NPC) and former military head of state General Abdulsallami Abubakar at a dialogue session of the committee with stakeholders at Transcorp Hilton in Abuja. That over 6m illegal weapons is currently traced to civilians, many of who are jobless, hungry and angry. “The number of small arms in circulation in Nigeria, in the hands of civilian non-state actors is estimated at 6,145,000, while the armed forces and law enforcement collectively account for 586,600 firearms”. He went further to reveals the deplorable insecurity challenge in the country. Informing the nation that 80,000 Nigerians have died in recent months with close to three million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) spreading across the country all because of growing dire insecurity and illegal weapons circulation in the country. He also added by saying that the security forces are not only overstretched but they are under-funded, asserting that they can perform better with more sophisticated weapons, equipment and with accountable funding provided.

    The concern raised by the former head of state and chairman of National Peace Committee (NPC) stand a reason to take governance seriously over the carnage in the land. Incidentally, this has shown that even those who exercised power and authority are living in fear. It is in this context that they must pay heed to cry of the people for help by taming the illegal weapon circulation not to persist.

    Moreover, a recent report on arms proliferation in African tagged “Small Arms, Mass Atrocities & Migration in Nigeria” highlighted that arms proliferation give rise to armed groups and also led to the displacement of several Nigerians. Conversely, the report stated that the proliferation of arms in Southern Nigeria has lead to increasing violence in the region, such as communal clashes, cultism, kidnappings, ethnic and religious clashes, and militancy in the Niger Delta. In the same vein, the report had it that in the Northern region, due to “existing state corruption, large tracts of ungoverned spaces, and mass unemployment has been responsible for rising criminality and violence in the region.” The report opines that the aforementioned succeeded because of proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW). The situation calls to question, the feasibility of National Task Force on Small Arms and Light Weapon.

    Yet, we must chart the way forward, even though it looks blink and unsummatable. We must rise to the occasion to tackle illegal weapon circulation in the country with the entire government structure confronting the menace headlong at federal, state and local government. Equally, the National Task force on Small Arms and Light Weapon and office of the National Security Adviser to the President (ONSA) must re-double their effort in the fight against illegal arms proliferation through preventive and repressive engagement. Succinctly, appropriates people centered governance programmes and security policies is needed to incorporates not just community policing but individuals and group policing network of intelligent sharing. Essentially, transparency, accountability and responsibility are the key watch of governance, without this, eliminating illegal weapons circulation is tantamount to fruitless exercise.

    Adefolarin A. Olamilekan
    Political Economist & Development Researcher
    Email:adefolarin77@gmail.com
    Tel: 08073814436, 0810740787

  • FG parleys UN to address poverty, economic vulnerability among Nigerians

    FG parleys UN to address poverty, economic vulnerability among Nigerians

    By Joyce Remi- Babayeju

    In a bid to address poverty and economic vulnerability among Nigerians the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning in collaboration with the Joint UN development partners convened in a webinar meeting in Abuja yesterday to review the National Social Protection Policy.

    In a press release signed by Imaobong Udoh for Director of Information, BNP, made available to Daybreak today the joint meeting was to conduct a quality check and validate the Six-chapter revised NSPP document which has recently become a veritable instrument in the African development agenda which Nigeria has embraced.

    According to the release the revised document underlines that an all inclusive and integrated social protection policy in Nigeria will address Poverty and economic vulnerability. Director, Department of Social Development, Budget and National Planning, Mr. Omotayo Adeyemi in his opening speech said “the exercise is now at the critical stage and quality assurance is expected.

    The essence of this gathering is to reflect, evaluate the outcomes and decisions reached.” In the same vein Deputy Director, Social Development, Budget and National Planning, Dr. Sanjo Faniran took stakeholders through the road-map of final institutionalization of the policy which involves Getting feedback from Stakeholders and partners; Presentation of the document to policy makers, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and MDAs.

    Engagement with National Assembly and Governors’ Forum for legal backing and institionalization of the policy; presentation to National Economic Council and the Federal Executive Council, would also be done, Faniran added. On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Emergency and Disaster management, the National Coordinator of the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO), Dr. Apera Iorwa, commended participants at the summit noting that the exercise was their job

  • VP Osinbajo – Poverty in Nigeria is deepening everyday

    VP Osinbajo – Poverty in Nigeria is deepening everyday

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has lamented over the increased poverty situation in the country. 

    Speaking at the first year ministerial performance review retreat, the Vice President charged ministers to expedite action on the N2.3 trillion stimulus package designed by the government to mitigate the effect of the crisis on the economy, while also disclosing that the Coronavirus pandemic has made Nigerians poorer. 

    Under the mass housing programme, Osinbajo explained that the government would build 300,000 homes across the country and would ensure that their prices did not exceed N2m.
     

    His statement; 

    “We are already in Day 67 since the plan. Nothing is going to happen by magic, we have to simply do this stuff. 

    “We have to ensure that we have the money and ensure that day by day, we are measuring our achievements and trying to ensure that we do the things that we need to do. And we simply are not favoured by time, every single day the poverty situation and the economic distortions deepen.

    “There is one which is ongoing by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, and the one under the Family Homes Fund is also supervised by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. 

    “The mass agriculture programme is one where we envisaged that we will be engaging many farmers. So far, we have enumerated at least 4 million farmers.

    “So, these are farmers who are tied to their lands and we have the geo-statistics that shows where their land is and we have about 4 million of them. And we expect that with each state contributing acreage for farming, we will be able to do significant numbers.

    “The plan is designed in such a way that in each one of the programmes, we are engaging as many Nigerians as possible. The expected outcome for agriculture, even if each farmer employs an additional person, this will result in an additional 4 million jobs and even more jobs along the value chain. We also will be looking at developing rural roads to reduce post-harvest losses.”

  • Rural tourism helps village in Northwest China shake off poverty

    Rural tourism helps village in Northwest China shake off poverty

    By Wang Mei, People’s Daily

     

    In June, Shibei village in Northwest China’s Qinghai Province gets busy as tourists flock to scenic sites there every day and carswait to enter a scenic spot to see the sea of flowers.

     

    Rural tourism has become a poverty alleviation tool for villagers of Shibei, Gucheng Hui Autonomous Township, Ping’an district, Haidong city, Qinghai.

     

    Getting its name from a stone tablet, Shibeiis a beautiful ancient village of ethnic minorities. Though it isendowed withclear waters and green mountains, the village was impoverished in the past.

     

    To help the villagers out of poverty, the local government invested 5.6 million yuan ($791,500) to develop rural tourism based on the resources it has, such as natural ecology and folk culture.

     

    The village provides tourism services such assightseeing, catering and accommodation. In addition, the local government has endeavored to make the village more beautiful, improved supporting services, launched entertainment projects with countryside characteristics such as farming and hiking, anddeveloped characteristic rural tourism. The measures have expanded the income channels of the residents.

     

    Thanks to the rural tourism project, Shibei village has been lifted out of poverty, with the per capita disposable income of registered poor households increasing to 5,500 yuan in 2017 from 2,429 yuan in 2015.

     

    The villagers have established seven agritainment resorts, generating about 30 jobs, said Ma Chengquan, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC)branch at Shibei village.

     

    The village is expected to receive 120,000 tourists this year, bringing an average income of 2,300 yuan to each villager, Ma noted.

     

    The local government also encourages the villagers to open shops and snack bars and develop farm stay business.

     

    A villager named Ma Xiaoyusaid she could earn 300 yuan every day by selling yogurt and snacks in the scenic areas. While doing the business, she could also take care of her child.

     

    The rapid development of the village attracted some villagers who had worked in the cities to come back to start up businesses, which created more opportunities for the local economy.

     

    “Iused to run a noodle restaurant in a developed coastal area of the country, and earned a lot of money. Last year, I came back to the village and opened an agritainment resortcovering 500 square meters. Now, I earn as much as I did in the past,”said Ma Shouqing, a villager in Shibei.

     

    Shibei village invested 500,000 yuan of collective development funds in the scenic areas to purchase recreational facilities, bringing 40,000 yuan of income to the village every year.

     

    Together with the dividends of the project, the village could gain 181,600 yuan every year for developing collective economy, providing seasonal jobs for more than 80 rural households and increasing theper capita income of villagers involved by over 2,000 yuan.

     

    The development of collective economy has made villagers more optimistic about future life and made them realize that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. The residents would volunteer to clean the scenic areas on a regular basis.

     

    With the continuous efforts to build a beautiful village and improve the living environment, Shibei village has taken on a new look and become one of the important rural tourist attractions in Ping’an district, according to CheGuiping, secretary of the CPC committee of Gucheng township.

     

    The village has risen to fame and attracted more and more tourists and the per capita income of villagers stood at 13,256 yuan in 2019, Che added.

  • Nigeria needs extended investment to lift 100m people out of poverty — Economist

    Nigeria needs extended investment to lift 100m people out of poverty — Economist

    A Chief Economist  at the  PricewaterhouseCoopers International Ltd. (PwC), Andrew Nevin says  Nigeria needs more investment to grow its economy at a higher rate, to be able to lift 100 million people out of poverty.

    Nevin made this known during the UK-Africa Pre-Summit Media briefing held at the British Deputy High Commissioner’s Residence, Ikoyi, Lagos.

    The UK Africa investment summit, is scheduled to take place on Jan. 20, in London, UK.

    There will be representations from 21  African countries at the summit.

    Nevin said that Nigeria was only growing at about two per cent and if the country continues that way, there would be more people in poverty.

    “To grow economically, we need investment. We need investment, roughly double what is on ground in the country today.

    “We need summits like this to connect with people that want to invest in Nigeria, and the UK and Nigeria have such long standing and close ties.’’

    Also speaking, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Harriet Thompson, said the upcoming UK-Nigeria summit would afford Nigeria the chance to show the scale and breadth of commercial opportunities that it had to around 300 UK businesses.

    She said that the summit would highlight sectors including Agriculture, Manufacturing, Infrastructure, among others.

    Thompson said: “It is a great opportunity for Nigeria to make its pitch to around 300 UK businesses including some top companies at the very highest level.

    “This is Nigeria’s chance to show the scale and breadth of commercial opportunities that are here to show their commitment to diversifying the economy away from oil and gas.

    “So, we will be highlighting sectors like agriculture, manufacturing and the infrastructure sector.

    “This is about Nigeria telling the world and the British companies that it is open for business,” she said.

    The deputy high commissioner said that the UK would follow conversations from the summit that would create jobs and bring Nigeria’s economy forward.

    She said that the global market for foreign direct investment was highly competitive and Nigeria was not where it should be.

    “We hope that at the summit, Nigeria will begin to change the perceptions to tell people that Nigeria is about more than oil and gas; it is about tech and about agriculture.

    “ It’s about services, manufacturing, all of these areas where the UK has got impressive private sector expertise to bring,” she said.

    Also, the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission, Mrs Yewande Sadiku said the summit would give Nigeria the opportunity to showcase its companies and its investment prospects.

    “It will also showcase what government is doing about addressing the challenges facing investors in the context of investment landscape.

    “This summit is an important milestone.

    “It is not the only event in the relationship, but it’s a big signature event that will help to bring the world’s attention, in particular the UK’s attention, to the investment opportunities in Africa,” she said.

    The Head of Office, DFID, Christopher Pycroft, said Nigeria was critically important to the UK Africa investment summit as Africa’s largest economy.

    “The UK has got really longstanding relationships with Nigeria and other companies have been here operating and trading in Nigeria for a long time.

    “The Nigerian delegation will be led by President Muhammadu Buhari, who is taking some of his senior ministers along.

    “ There will be government to government engagement. And there is also going to be really strong representation from Nigerian companies who are already operating here.

    “Investors from the UK think that Nigeria is a difficult economy to operate in and that is why we want to demonstrate that there are already UK companies who are investing here, creating jobs and making money.

    “ We want to use their expertise to be able to draw in other UK investors, private sector operators into this space and to demonstrate that Nigeria is open for business and that the economy is growing,” he said.(NAN)