Poverty And The High Rate Of Insecurity In Nigeria

Today in Nigeria there is a malaise of poverty which has resulted in the problem of insecurity. The twin problem of illiteracy caused by excessive poverty has bedevilled and hampered the development of our country.

According to the statistics and data reported and disclosed by the World Health Organisation, the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are mostly hit by this malaise and if this countries do not take major step in arresting the problem it has a spiral effects that can stunt the development of the sub-region particularly Nigeria which is presently facing the problem of the Boko Haram insurgency in addition to the unending farmers and herders clashes that have claimed hundreds of lives.

The peace, tranquillity and survival of a nation is tied to the way the government implements programme of action to bring down the level of poverty and in the process reduce the numbers of willing youths and adults who are the basic tools used in insurgent activities.

Nigeria does not have any business with poverty due to the abundant natural and material resources placed at its disposal by providence. The proponents of this insurgent act used poverty which is a direct outcome of illiteracy as a basic weapon to blackmail their adherents into submission.

As an African adage says that “a hungry man is an angry man,” which explain why most people submit to the proposition of insurgents and their sponsors.

The government in particular have a critical and pivotal role to play in reducing to the barest minimum the effects of poverty among its citizens. A well fed nation is a peaceful nation.

Our Agricultural policies must be reviewed and strengthened to give it the required impetus to serve the purpose of its formulation.

Our people need to be educated on their roles in this fight against poverty and insurgency as insurgency has caused our country so much both in terms of lives lost and material resources destroyed.

Budgetary allocations meant for the wellbeing of citizen are being appropriated for military hardware as security votes to the detriment of other sectors of the economy like education, health care, agricultural inputs and the growth of infrastructural facilities.

The road to peace and stability of our country depends on what we as a people and our government do to end insecurity through the eradication of poverty.

Enough budgetary provisions must be made annually to reduce the rate of poverty as a deliberate policy. Nigeria has arable lands fertile enough to feed her teaming population.

We shall only get it right when our governments get the policy framework right and also when the rightness of these policies are achieved. The implementing agencies and institutions must see it as a call to duty to help the government achieve its set objectives.

The nation’s parliamentary bodies must as a matter of urgency deliberately make good laws free from political considerations to help Nigeria succeed in the twin battle of the total eradication of poverty and insurgency.

The National Orientation Agency have a critical role to play in educating Nigerians on the need to go back to the farms in the short term to ameliorate their present sufferings instead of waiting for the governments that are facing the problem of shortages in oil revenue accruals to the three tiers of government. The call by the president for our economy to be diversified must be supported by all.

When Nigeria’s economy is diversified, the Federal and other tiers of government will have enough revenue accruable to them to carry out programmes to enhance the quality of living of our people.

The infrastructural deficit being experienced in the country will be adequately attended to leading to improved growth and development in its physicality.

As stakeholders in our Nigeria’s development effort we must all remember that the present trends in insurgent attack witnessed daily is the resultant effect of our past irresponsible leadership who decimated our national patrimony on white elephant projects.

We must come together urgently to hold our leaders accountable in the provision of basic growth things of life especially poverty reduction. We need to change our ways by fighting poverty and illiteracy with all sincerity of purpose for the peace of our nation.

To achieve the foregoing, citizens must do the most important thing which is voting the right people into leadership positions.

Therefore, as the 2019 general election draws very close, the people must as a priority vote only persons who see the urgent need for investment on education, agriculture, health, employment and security into responsible position of authority.

The above is true because we need to fund basic infrastructural needs of disadvantaged zones regardless of political consideration as insurgent acts anywhere in our country affects all.