Senate urges FG, States on measures to reduce poverty.
As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the United Nations International Day for Poverty Eradication, the senate warns that unless appropriate measures are taken to reduce the level of poverty in the country, it faces risks of witnessing a revolution.
The Senate during plenary on Tuesday, following a motion sponsored by Senator Ali Wakili (Bauchi South) and 23 others therefore urged that policies and programmes evolved by the Federal Government through the Social Investment Programmes and other poverty alleviation and eradication measures are vigorously pursued, and that the federal government implements the necessary State Development Goals (SDGs) that will eliminate poverty in line with goal 16.
While it also called on the federal, state and local governments to henceforth designate and observe October 17 as World Poverty Day in line with the UN resolution, the upper legislativd chamber appealed to Community Based Organizations (CBO) and the media to step up discussions on the scourge of poverty and its debasement of human dignity.
Leading the discussion, Senator Wakili noted that the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and its antecedents, the world day for overcoming extreme poverty are intended to promote dialogue and understanding between people living in poverty and their communities and society. “It is meant to demonstrate the strong bonds of solidarity between people living in poverty and people from all works of life, and the commitment to work together to overcome extreme poverty, a chance for men to make their concerns heard and a moment to recognize that the the poor people are are in the forefront in the fight against poverty.”
“It is interesting to note that achievement of a world free free from poverty provides a path tawards achieving peaceful and inclusive societies as envisioned in goal 16 of SDG, which key target is to ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision making at all level,” he said.
Senator Wakili Ali further recalled that the recent data from the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics indicates that no fewer than 112 million Nigerians representing 67.1percent of the country’s estimated population now live below poverty level. ” Hence the challenge for all to rise to the occasion to vanguish poverty. ”
He added that the passage of the Poverty eradication bill has been the right step towards the actualization of the UN agenda 2030 for sustainable development and meeting the obligation by all countries to end poverty in all forms.
Senator Jibril Barau (Kano ) also in his contribution, attributed the level of Poverty in Nigeria to bad leadership and also advocated the need for a sound economy that will provide opportunity for the dispossed.
Similarly, Senator Sani Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central) who described Nigeria’s poverty as man made, said that the country risks a serious revolution if efforts are not made to address the problem of poverty.
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki hinted that the need to reduce poverty in the country is a tall order.
Saraki who was represented by the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, noted that the trend has to be reduced as most responsible countries are doing through compulsory education ans provision of basic infrastructures and social amenities.
Ekweremadu equally insisted that there should be a redistribution of income through taxation via a system that will ensure that poor people pay lesser, while the rich pay higher, while there is need for massive indistrialization in order to provide jobs for the masses.
Chris Emetoh, Abuja
