The Nation Newspaper

Tag: fight poverty

  • ‘Nigeria needs leaders that can fight poverty’

    Founder of the African Leadership Academy, Mr Fred Swaniker, has underscored the need to develop leaders to address the continent’s pressing problems, notably poverty.

    Speaking on the theme: “Leadership and social change: Developing 21st Century Leaders for Africa” at the 25th anniversary lecture of the Olashore International School (OIS) Iloko-Ijesa held in Lagos recently, Swaniker said with the absence of strong institutions, Africa urgently needed to get leadership right or continue to suffer terrible consequences.

    He said: “In Africa we do not have strong institutions and so one bad leader can destroy things far greater than in any other continent. It is also however very refreshing when you see what good leadership can do. The fact that we do not have strong institutions means that a good leader can therefore make much more progress than in other parts of the world. So we have a unique opportunity because we do not have strong institutions that if we were to make good leaders we can make tremendous progress.”

    With Africa estimated to be home to about 86 per cent of the world’s poorest people by 2050, with 40 per cent of those people in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Swaniker, a Ghanaian, said the continent needed to groom leaders, who could create wealth and eliminate poverty.

    “Generation 4, which are the generation that we are developing have just one job to do which the previous generations have not done which is eliminate poverty. This is the generation that needs to create wealth in Africa because, unless we can create wealth, we are not truly independent. We will still be begging the rest of the world for aids. We need to be able to pay our loans, feed ourselves, educate our children and create prosperity and decent standard of living for everyone,” he said.

    Swaniker praised OIS mission to develop leaders, urging the school to inculcate in its learners, the culture of being change agents, confident in leadership; and a sense of service.

    Also speaking, chairman of the occasion, Dr Christopher Kolader, said he was glad that OIS had outlived its founder, the late Oba Oladele Olashore, and was growing strong.

    He urged the school management to continue to promote learning that could be applied to transform the society.

    “As we mark this 25th Anniversary we should also understand that this capacity to learn which is actually a gift from God and if we are able to learn effectively and are able to apply to our society the things that we learn, I am quite sure that Nigeria will be better,” he said.

    The programme featured the launch of the Olashore International School Association (OISA) Foundation, which the Chairman, OIS Board of Governors, Prince Abimbola Olashore said would document, implement an dexpand the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects of the school in Iloko Ijesa and environs.

  • Guber candidate pledges to fight poverty

    The governorship candidate of the Zenith Labour Party in Borno State, Captain Ibrahim Mshelia has said that the level of poverty in the state is alarming and if given the opportunity to serve the people as governor, it will be a thing of the past.

    Speaking with journalists after a thank you visit to the party’s secretariat in Abuja, the governorship candidate said that, despite the huge sums of money coming into the state from federal allocations, majority of  the citizens of the state are still wallowing in poverty.

    Mshelia said the time has come for those who have the interest of the people at heart to come out and take the leadership position to turn the state of affairs of the state around. “I have decided to contest the governorship of Borno State to serve the people and change their life. Everywhere you go in the state, abject poverty; criminality and want stare at you in the face. I can no longer stay behind in the struggle to rejuvenate the lifestyle of our people and elevate their living standard. Enough is enough!”

    According to him, the Zenith Labour Party is the only platform that has not been abused by the money bags and political vampires who are only concerned about their selfish interest rather than the interest of the masses, hence; his decision to contest on the platform.

    “I have tested the ground and discussed at length with elders from all the constituencies in Borno State before I took my decision and with the support of our people who are yearning for real change including the youths victory is assured,” he said.

  • We’ve credible plans to get Nigerians out of poverty, Says Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday night maintained that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has credible plans to get Nigeria out of poverty in spite of limited funds available to the country.

    He made the remark at a town hall meeting tagged: ‘The Candidates’ organised by the MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with NTA and DARIA Media in Abuja.

    According to him, the APC administration was dealing with poverty in many ways including monthly payment of N5,000 to the poorest Nigerians, home grown school feeding programme and the Tradermoni, where market women are given N10,000 each to start business.

    He said “As of 2012 Nigeria had 112 million people living in extreme poverty. Today Nigeria has about 86 million people who are poor but it is higher than India.

    “From 2010 to 2014 Nigeria earned  the highest revenue in oil. Nigeria earned $383 billion. Poverty figure went from about 82 million people  to about 112 million in 2012. That is  the reason why we have the poverty problem.

    “Unfortunately, with all this money we had poverty was not addressed, nothing was done about it.

    “In three years of our own government $94 billion is what we made from oil revenue compared that to$383 billion, but we started the largest programme to tackle poverty in the history of this country,’’ he said.

    The government, he said, was feeding 9.2million children daily under the school feeding programme to address the issue of malnutrition.

    He said that no credible beneficiary could be traced to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) SURE-P Fund.

    Osinbajo also said that the APC was different from the PDP because the APC manifesto was about social development of the country.

    The Vice also said that the Federal Government’s fight against corruption is on course and that all monies returned to government by those who looted public treasury will be judiciously utilised to develop the country.

    Read also: All returned looted funds will be judiciously utilised – Osinbajo

    The vice president, however, said that the federal government had been able to block channels of looting the nation`s treasury through the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

    He said that all returned looted funds would be used following budgetary process, saying that, in the case of properties, ones there was a final forfeiture, such property (asset) become the property of the state unless where there was a legal claim to it.

    He, however, said that the mere fact that someone returned monies acquired through illegal means while holding public office did not make him a free person.

    Speaking on the farmers’ herders clashes especially in Benue, the vice president attributed the development to climate change.

    He said the development was getting worse because of desertification, adding that the federal government was collaborating with the country`s neighbours to address it.

    He said the federal government was making efforts to recharge the Lake Charge which he noted was shrinking.

    The vice president said that the long term plan to address the development was to create ranches, saying that water dams were presently being created by the federal government as a short term measure.

  • Akpabio I’ll assist Buhari fight poverty

    Senator Godswill Akpabio has said that he will support President Muhammadu Buharin to generate jobs and eradicate poverty.

    Acknowleging the anti-corruption drive of the President, Akpabio said he would join in fighting its “twin-brother which is poverty.”

    “I am joining the APC to stabilize the government and to assist the government to create employment opportunities for Nigerians so that we can fight the twin brother to corruption, which is poverty.

    “Poverty creates corruption and corruption deepens poverty, so we need to fight the two together. And that is one of the things I find attractive with the APC and believe me, with my people in Akwa Ibom State, with my presence in the APC, my people in South South have now seen the light and they say APC is the party to vote for come 2019.” he added.

    He told reporters after the National Caucus meeting at the Villa that

    “The meeting went very well and a lot of topical issues were discussed bothering on the interest of the nation. The resolutions are fantastic and I believe that the resolutions will not only move the party forward but will help to alleviate the situation in the country today and Nigerians will be happy for it.”

    Akpabio praised President Buhari’s leadership, saying “the President has kept his integrity intact.”

    He added: “He has been able to improve the image of Nigeria and restored a lot of respect for Nigeria before the international community.

    “I can assure you that he alone can attract millions of people, he is that infectious.”

  • Moghalu vows to fight poverty, drug abuse

    A PRESIDENTIAL aspirant on the platform of Young Progressive Party (YPP), Prof.  Kingsley Moghalu, has promised to reposition Nigeria’s economy and fight social vices like drug abuse and poverty, if voted into office in 2019.

    Moghalu, a former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), faulted economic and social contract policies of the present administration and insisted that a lot need to be done to put Nigeria in its pride of place as “the giant of Africa”.

    According to Moghalu, who spoke during a town hall meeting with his Kano supporters at Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies (Mambayya House), said the time has come to redeem Nigeria.

    The aspirant said: “This is the time to heal Nigeria. This is the time to wage war against poverty and drug abuse. This is the time to rebuild a nation and take it on the right part of economic prosperity.

    “This is the time for a technocrat that has physical and mental energy, a visionary leader that will not discriminate or marginalise against religious or ethnic divide to take over the mantle of leadership.”

    He promised to introduce a N1 trillion equity capital fund to boost entrepreneurial capital economy among teeming unemployed youths where they would engage in massive skills acquisition programme that would make them self-reliant and responsible citizens.

    At Emir of Kano’s palace, when he visited the monarch, Muhammad Sanusi ll, Moghalu lamented that the rate of poverty in Nigeria was a serious national security threat that could not be overlooked by any serious government.

    He said he was aspiring for the office of president for three reasons: to build a nation that would unite its citizens devoid of their religion and ethnic differences, to revive the nation’s economy and restore the country’s lost glory.

    “The rate of poverty, unemployment and drug abuse, especially among youth and women, is getting worst by the day. My vision is to wage a decisive war against these vices. I have an economic plan that is independent from oil. I have a one trillion ventured capital economic plan that will provide job opportunities to youths and women,” he stated.

    Emir Sanusi urged politicians to ensure that the 2019 general election was peaceful and noting that peace was the key to development and progress of every nation.

    Emir Sanusi also admonished politicians to allow electorates to elect leaders of their choice, saying under a democratic regime, everyone has a right to elect leaders of his choice.

    He added that it was not the contest that matters, rather the contribution a contestant could offer to improve the living standard of the electorates if elected.

     

     

  • Boko Haram: Amaechi urges Fed Govt to fund education, fight poverty

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi said yesterday that the only solution to the Boko Haram insurgency is to fund education and fight poverty in the North.

    He said Boko Haram has nothing to do with Islam or Christianity.

    Amaechi said: “It is a product of ignorance and poverty.

    “Since the insurgency began, Muslims have died in the North. The missing Chibok girls are Muslims and Christians.”

    Amaechi, who is the Chairman, Nigeria’s Governors Forum (NGF), spoke in Sokoto where he inaugurated a modern agricultural skill acquisition centre at Rimawa in Goronyo Local Government.

    He said the earlier the Federal Government funds education and fights poverty, particularly in the North, the better.

    According to him, “the militancy in the South is caused by the same factors, which has stopped, following Federal Government’s intervention.”

    “The same thing should be done in the North,” he added.

    Amaechi, who faulted President Goodluck Jonathan’s theory linking the All Progressives Congress (APC)-controlled states in the North with Boko Haram asked: “Are Kaduna and Bauchi states where Gen. Muhammadu Buhari was attacked and insurgency carried out PDP or APC states?”

    He hailed the brilliance and foresight of Governor Aliyu Wamakko in establishing the centre to empower youths.

    Wamakko said the centre, with comprehensive farming facilities, is the third to be inaugurated to contribute to the nation’s quest for agricultural and food production and security.