Despite Nigeria’s rapid growth in economy, the disparity
between the rich and the poor continues to get wider and the country’s poverty
level soars up rather than reducing, even with the setting up of Committee for
Rural Development Strategies and Poverty Alleviation programmes. Young workers continue
to search for employment. Politicians continue to increase their remunerations
at the expense of millions of poor Nigerians. It was reported that the salaries
and allowances of Nigerian legislators are the highest in the world and yet
millions of Nigerians live in abject poverty.
According to the report, the number of poor Nigerians living
below the poverty line has increased measurably, even as the growth rate of
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country is flourishing, yet there is no
sign of reduction in poverty level. The 2013 World Bank report on Nigeria
Economy reads: “Job creation in Nigeria has been inadequate to keep pace with
the expanding working age population. The official unemployment rate has
steadily increased from 12 per cent of the working age population in 2006 to 24
per cent in 2011. Preliminary indications are that this upward trend will continue
if there is no job creation.”
In 2012, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) also
reported that not less than 112 million (about 68 percent) of Nigerians live
below the poverty line and which the North-East and North-West were ranked
highest in poverty rate of 77.7 and 76.3 per cent respectively. “In summary,
statistics on poverty and unemployment in Nigeria, together with other direct
indicators of welfare, suggest a story that is rather different from the
national accounts data. GDP growth has not been sufficient to support levels of
poverty reduction and job creation necessary to prevent a growing number of
poor and unemployed (underemployed) Nigerians.”
Growth has not had a
corresponding effect on the lives of average Nigerian.
Reforms have failed
The policy of reforms and fixes taken in the past to tackle
poverty are all to no avail. Starting
from 1976 when General Olusegun Obasanjo introduced the Operation Feed
the Nation (OFN) programme which many saw as a programme designed to fool
Nigerians rather than feed Nigerians, as it never created any food security as
envisaged. Former President Shehu Shagari also introduced Green Revolution
programme aimed at producing enough food at reduced cost for the citizens which
is expected to alleviate the poverty level of Nigerians. Unfortunately, the
programme became a failure due to the hijacking of fertilizers, farming tools
and incentives meant for the rural poor farmers by the rich government
officials.
Former self imposed military president ,General Ibrahim
Babangida during his tenure, established National Directorate for
Employment which was aimed at creating
employment and by so doing reduce the poverty level riddling the country but
like other programmes, it was hijacked by the powers that were in position. The
aim or the objective of the programme was defeated. Some other past leaders
established one programme or the other to fight poverty but the situation
remained same and has become a national threat.
Numerous poverty alleviation agencies established by various
administrations both past and president include the Family Support Trust Fund,
Federal Department of Rural Development, Family Economic Advancement Programme,
National Directorate of Employment Peoples, Nigerian Agricultural Insurance
Corporation, National Commission for Nomadic Education, National Primary Health
Care Development Agency, National Agricultural Land Development Authority,
National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, Federal
Agricultural Coordinating Unit Directorate for Foods, Roads and Rural
Infrastructures, Agricultural Projects Monitoring and Evaluation Unit,
Industrial Development Centre Federal Ministries of Agriculture, Water
Resources, Power and Steel; River Basin
Development Authorities; National Centre for Women Development and National
Economic Reconstruction Fund, among others. After the failure of OFN, President
Olusegun Obasanjo’s civilian administration in 1999 under the ruling People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) formulated a good number of development policies such as
the National Poverty Eradication Programme (Napep) with the aim of eradicating
poverty in Nigeria by the year 2010. Nigerians were assured that the programme
would stamp out unemployment, poor educational system, lack of portable water,
poor power generation and supply, poor health care system, inadequate
infrastructure and insecurity of lives and properties but for over 9 years
later, the situation remained the same due corruption in high places. Public
funds were allocated for the implementation of these programmes
Yet the poverty situation gets worse yearly. What then has
happened to the money vested on these said agencies set up to tackle poverty? Poor
people have visions but no money to actualize their dreams.
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