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  • The Governance Predicament: Poverty, Terrorism and Democracy

    The Governance Predicament: Poverty, Terrorism and Democracy

    Lecture delivered at Freedom House, Lagos, Nigeria by Larry Diamond June 30, 2014

    It goes without saying that something is seriously wrong when the Governor of the Central Bank finds that during an 18-month period between January 2012 and July 2013 Nigeria failed to repatriate three-quarters of the roughly $65 billion it presumably earned from oil sales.[3] Add to this the findings of the Farouk Lawan Committee, which exposed a fuel subsidy scam costing Nigeria some $7 billion, the work of Nuhu Ribadu and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and so many other reports and revelations not just in recent years but over the tragic history of oil wealth in Nigeria, and it is hard to dismiss the assertion of former World Bank Vice President and former Minister Oby Ezekwesli that some $400 billion of the Nigeria’s oil revenue has been stolen or misspent since its independence.[4]As one of the most astute foreign scholars of Nigeria, Peter Lewis, recently observed to me, “In the last decade, the government has been hemorrhaging the resources from Nigeria’s second oil boom. Not even the electricity program that is supposed to be part of the government’s “transformation agenda” can move ahead.”[5]

    It is just not credible for defenders of the current order to dismiss all these allegations as partisan or “unproven”.  They form a pattern of documentation of embezzlement, mismanagement and misappropriation of public funds that is shocking in scale, irrefutable in essence, and devastating in impact.

    Certainly Nigerians perceive that corruption is out of control.  In the recent Global Corruption Barometer, 78 percent of Nigerians—one of the largest proportions in the world—said corruption is a significant problem in the country. 72% felt it had increased substantially in the last two years. 75% said the government was doing little to combat it.  94% perceived political parties as corrupt or extremely corrupt (and about the same percentage the police as well).[6]  These percentages are backed up by expert ratings, such as those done by the World Bank, which rank the quality of governance in Nigeria in the bottom quartile of all the world’s countries.

    This scale of corruption has serious consequences for development and human wellbeing.  To understand this, let us look at one simple statistic—the percentage of children under five years old who die every year.  And let us compare Nigeria and Ghana.  Four decades ago, in the wake of the first oil boom, Nigeria was a much wealthier country than Ghana.  Its per capita income was about 40 percent higher than Ghana’s.[7]Since the darkest days of military rule and partial state collapse in Ghana, that country has moved forward to develop democracy and lift up state capacity and performance.  Nigeria has not.  As a result, Ghana has significantly improved its rankings onthe quality of governance, while Nigeria’s have remained miserable.  In control of corruption, Ghana is now in the 56th percentile worldwide, Nigeria is in the 11th percentile.  On Rule of law, Ghana is in the 50th percentile.  Nigeria is in the bottom 10 percent.  Here are the other percentile rankings, on a scale from 0 to 100:

    State effectiveness:  Ghana 52, Nigeria 16.

    Voice and accountability: Ghana 60, Nigeria 27

    Regulatory quality: Ghana 56, Nigeria 25.

    As a consequenceof all of this, Ghana ranks in the 50th percentile in terms of political stability, and Nigeria is in the third percentile, down in the neighborhood of Iraq, Afghanistan, and the DRC.  And this was before Boko Haram abducted some 276schoolgirls in Chibok a few weeks ago as part of its latest and most ruthless rampage.  Given these data, how surprised should we be that order is disintegrating in a part of Nigeria’s territory, with repeated bombings as well in and around the capital city?

    Now let us look at under age five mortality rates.  Ghana has reduced this grim statistic since 1980 by 57%; Nigeria by only 42%.  Today about 7.2% of Ghanaian children under age five die each year—a horrible statistic, but much better than the Nigerian rate, which is 12.4%.  Nigeria has the ninth worst child death rate in the world, of the 196 countries for which UNICEF presents data.   The difference between Nigeriaand Ghana is the difference between one out of 14 kids dying a year versus one of out eight. UNICEF estimates that 827,000 Nigerian children under age five died in 2012, about one of every eight such deaths in the entire world.  Now imagine for a moment that Nigeria had Ghana’s under-five mortality rate of 7.2 percent.  The number of Nigeria’s child deaths in 2012 would have been about 347,000 fewer.  Multiply that figure, or some large portion of it, by however many years you wish to go back in time, and the number of children who have died because Nigeria’s child death rate is larger than Ghana’s runs well into the millions.  In the last decade alone, it has surely been over two million, probably over three million Nigerian children.  That is many more deaths than in the Nigerian civil war.  It is more than three times as many deaths as in the Rwandan genocide, and comparable to the number of Cambodians murdered by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.

    These were children, who had their whole lives ahead of them.  It is hard to see what can possibly account for the difference in child death rates between Nigeria and Ghana except the demonstrably worsegovernance in Nigeria.

    Allow me to quote again from your former Education Minister, Oby Ezekwesili:

    By conservative estimate, our country has earned more than $600billion in the last five decades and yet can only boast of a United Nations Human Development Index score of .4 out of 1, proximate to that of Chad, and [a] maternal mortality rate similar to that of Afghanistan! Nothing reveals the depth of our failures [more] than such performance indicators, considering the vastly greater possibilities that we have been bestowed.[8]

    53 years after independence, an estimated half of Nigerian adults are illiterate, 70 percent lack access to improved sanitation facilities, a quarter of all children are underweight, and over a third of them are not being immunized.[9]

    Who will be held accountable for these developmental failures, and for the roughlythree million children who would not have died if Nigeria’s Fourth Republic had managed to improve the quality of governance—not to the level of Sweden, just to the level of Ghana? When political leaders murder a million of their own people, we call it genocide.  We do not have a term for the crime that is inflicted when egregious corruption and mismanagement cause the needless death of three million children over an extended period of time.

    When more than 200 school children are  abducted from their school dormitories by a terrorist organisation, outrage comes easily, and justifiably.  We know the names and faces of those girls.  Where are recorded the names and faces of the 347,000 children under five years old who died last year but would still be alive if Nigeria had—I repeat—merely decent governance?

    The current moment begs another question:  If the Nigerian state, with all its natural wealth, cannot ensure that its children are given decent levels of social and economic security—education, immunization, and nutrition—how can it ensure that they have physical security?  Why should anyone expect the army and police to show greater purpose, efficacy, and selflessness than other segments of the state and the body politic?  Bad governance is like cancer; it is malignant—it spreads throughout the body.  And cultural norms are set from the top, as people watch not what their leaders say, but what they do.  This is why President Shehu Shagari’s declaration of an “ethical revolution” during the Second Republic was so unserious.  What is the point of appealing to the public for better ethics when government and politics are riddled with pervasive, unchecked greed?

    One of the oldest aphorisms about governance, which many cultures claim to have originated, is this:  The fish rots from the head down.  As Chinua Achebe eloquently noted in his essay, The Trouble with Nigeria, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else.”

    Leadership sets the tone.  Some thirty years ago, when I was writing about the failure of the First Nigerian Republic, a phrase kept ringing in my ears.  It was prompted by years of corruption and repression, and then the blatant rigging of the October 1965 Western Regional election, which plunged the region into violent rebellion against the government of Premier Samuel Akintola.  I wrote about that period:

    Looters and highway robbers were aware that their behavior differed only in its openness from that of the politicians.  Said one young man as he threatened to ignite a car he had stopped on the highway, “Akintola has had his share.  Now we want ours.”[10]

    When most leaders of politics and government are seen as scoundrels and thieves, ordinary people tend to behave in kind, because they do not trust their fellow citizens to behave any differently, and they do not want to be the lone fool who obeys the formal rules.  That is not the kind of social, legal and moral foundation on which a country can build democracy, development, or peace and stability.

     

    The link to terrorism and insecurity

    In the absence of very serious and far-reaching governance reform, the problem of Boko Haram’s murderous violence in the north is not any more amenable to termination than is the problem of piracy and criminality in the Niger Delta area.  There is no purely security solution to either of these security challenges.  Each emerges as a twisted response to a situation of pervasive corruption, injustice, distrust, moral decay, and state weakness.  And each appears to be intertwined with struggles for political power in complex, opaque, and volatile ways.

    It is not merely social scientists that have stressed the significant social, economic, and political roots of terrorist violence, across a wide range of national situations, of which Nigeria is only one.  In April 2012, the then National Security Advisor to the President, the late retired general Andrew Owoye Azaze, made a similar point in a public speech, stressing that the mobilization of force alone against Boko Haram could not work, and that Nigeria could not achieve security without broad-based development:

    …Even if all the leaders that we know in Boko Haram are arrested, I don’t think the problem would end, because there are tentacles. I don’t think that people would be satisfied, because the situations that created the problems are not just about the religion, poverty or the desire to rule Nigeria. I think it’s a combination of everything. Except you address all those things comprehensively, it would not work.

    …It is not enough for us to have a problem in 2009 and you send soldiers to stop the situation, then tomorrow you drive everybody underground. You must look at what structures you need to put in place to address the problem holistically. There are economic problems in the North, which are not the exclusive prerogative of the Northerners. We must solve our problems as a country.[11]

    It is also important to stress another lesson of comparative experience in countering insurgences:  By further victimizing many innocent people, human rights violations by state security forces enlarge support for the insurgency.  In and outside Nigeria, there is growing concern over the climate of impunity for state security forces who are responsible for, to quote the latest annual report of Human Rights Watch,  “indiscriminate arrest, detention, torture, and extra-judicial killing of those suspected to be supporters or members” of Boko Haram.[12]

     

    What is to be done

    I don’t think many Nigerians needed the suffering and shame that Boko Haram has inflicted on this country to see that the situation is desperate and is not amenable to platitudes and faint-hearted solutions.  Intellectual honesty can only point in the direction of comprehensive and far-reaching policy responses.  When corruption has brought a country down to the bottom three percent in the world in terms of political stability, it’s time to think outside the box.

    I want to suggest six reform responses.  I don’t presume that these are the only ones, and I realize that some of these are definitely “outside the box.” Nigeria has to do multiple radical and unconventional things if it is going to climb out of the deep trough in which it has been stuck for half a century.

    The place to begin is with elections.  Two key requirements for clean elections are effective and neutral administration, and comprehensive transparency.  On the first, some progress has been made, but there are serious concerns about whether the country’s electoral administration is up to the coming challenge in 2015. There is at least on respect in which the recent Ekiti election does not inspire confidence.  You cannot have the police and the military blocking the supporters (not to mention fellow governors) of one party from moving about a state and campaigning, and call that a fully free and fair election.  Democratic elections require a level playing field.  That must mean freedom to campaign.  And it must mean strict neutrality of all the instruments of state security.

    I think there is something to be learned from the experience of India in institutionalising the extraordinary power, independence, and administrative capacity of the Election Commission of India.  The position of the Chief Election Commissioner is one of the most crucial and respected in India, equivalent in stature to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and it has been held by some of India’s most highly accomplished and talented career civil servants.  Why not call one of them in to advise on elections here, or even to sit as an advisory member of the INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission)?

    It is vitally important that the INEC vigorously advance its work, with the broad assistance of civil society and the Nigerian media, to educate Nigerians about the coming elections and strongly encourage them to register to vote.  An election can only be as good as the electoral register, and it takes many months to ensure that the register of voters is as accurate, up to date, and inclusive as possible.  It helps that we are in a new era now technologically, where biometric tools of voter identification can help to root out fraudulent inflation of the electoral register.  But those tools, as well, must be applied in a rigorously neutral and transparent way.  Every step in preparing the election must be open to scrutiny.

    Second, there is a clear and unimpeachable gold standard for monitoring the fairness of elections. Neutral monitors in civil society must have the freedom and resources to conduct a parallel vote tabulation (PVT).  The technology for this is well established, and Nigerian civil society organizations are well experienced in this task.  In previous recent elections, their parallel counts have not (to my knowledge) dramatically diverged from the official percentage tally of the vote.  Nigeria must have neutral and credible judicial processes available should the parallel vote tabulation in2015 clearly indicate a different electoral outcome than the officially declared one.

    Third, there is a need to advance internal democracy within Nigerian political parties.  There is a growing recognition internationally that you cannot have a quality democracy unless there are adequate procedures for transparency, accountability, constitutionalism, and democratic procedures within political parties.  This must include democratic means for the selection of candidates so that they become accountable to the voters more than to party leaders and “godfathers.”

    Fourth is the need to reform and modernise the state security apparatus.  The military, police, and intelligence must be trained and equipped to wage the security response with the proper tools and strategy, and to target the use of force carefully and effectively.  They must also be instructed and monitored to avoid needless civilian casualties, and they must be held accountable for violations of law and procedure.  But reports of recent confrontations between Nigerian security forces and Boko Haram suggest that the former have often been significantly outgunned and outmaneuvered.  It is the responsibility of civilian political leadership in the executive and legislative branches to work with the military and oversee the military to ensure it has the necessary weapons and other tools.  International security cooperation is also needed to track and confront the shadowy movements of arms and money across borders.

    Fifth, the laws on paper against bribery, corruption, and conflict of interest are reasonably good in principle, but they have huge weaknesses in enforcement that must be repaired.  Corruption is like water seeping into the ground; it will find any crack or crevice and make use of it.  The only way to fight it is with a system of horizontal accountability that is vigorous, comprehensive, independent, and interlocking.

    A critical, indispensable condition for successful enforcement is transparency.  What good is it for public officials to declare their assets if those declarations are not made publicly available?  The Code of Conduct Bureau has never had the staffing, the manpower, the energy, and probably the will to vigorously investigate the veracity of all of these declarations.  It needs the public’s help.  And it needs the help of the international community.  By law, all assets declarations should be made available online for public scrutiny.  And since Nigerian law forbids the President, Vice-President, Governors, and federal and state legislators from operating foreign bank accounts, why not require them to sign, along with the Code of Conduct, a legal declaration foregoing any right of privacy or any claim to ownership of any foreign bank accounts that may bear their name.  This still leaves open the question of accounts owned by their spouses and children, another loophole that would need to be addressed.  They should also be asked to forswear ownership and invite surrender of any real property or other assets, foreign or domestic, that are discovered to be in their names, which they have not listed on their assets declaration.

    In the early 1990s, when I was researching the problem of corruption in Nigeria and the total inefficacy of the Code of Conduct Bureau at that time, it became clear to me that little sustainable progress in controlling corruption would be made unless politicians knew that the public, and the international financial system, would be mobilized against them if they accumulated vast wealth in office and then tried to hide it.  It took me a long time to get a Nigerian politician to engage me in an honest conversation on the subject, but finally I found one.  When I explained why I thought it was essential to make the assets declarations public, he agreed with the logic of my argument, but said it would be impossible, because:  “If the people ever found out how much wealth the politicians have, there would be a revolution in this country.”

    Maybe it is time to declare a financial amnesty:  Account for what you have, bring your money back home, hand over the bulk of it, and you will not be prosecuted.  Maybe the only way to begin is by following the maxim of the leading anti-corruption scholar, Robert Klitgaard, that you must “fry big fish” if you are serious about controlling corruption.  But that requires a serious and independent anti-corruption apparatus. And that in turn means hard thinking about how to insulate these bodies from partisan political control and other forms of subversion.  Nigeria needs to do some creative, hard thinking about how to appoint the members of crucial agencies of horizontal accountability—such as the Code of Conduct Bureau, the INEC, the Federal Judicial Service Commission and possibly some of the other bodies enumerated in article 153 of the Constitution.  If the country gets a president seriously committed to good governance and political reform, then it works fine to have the president appoint and the Senate confirm the chairmen and members of these bodies.  But constitutions should be designed to protect against the worst leaders, not to empower the best. Is there a way to involve civil society in the selection of these crucial positions to ensure that they are independent and vigorous personalities, dedicated to the role envisioned in the Constitution?  Would the power of appointment to these bodies be better vested with the Supreme Court or some other body?

    If you want to think radically, here is a sixth possible policy reform.  Give some of the oil money directly back to the people.  There is growing international interest in the idea of “oil to cash,” essentially the “Alaska model,” wherein the state directly gives some of the oil revenue back to each individual citizen.  With the growth of mobile phone access and mobile banking, this is a much more feasible approach in Africa than it would have been even a few years ago.  And technology will make it increasingly feasible.  Nigeria may be too populous a country to distribute revenue to everyone, but cash payments could at least be targeted on the poorest of the poor, as India is doing with income supplements. Some allege that the poor would waste the money on impulsive spending. But, can the poor really do a worse job than Nigerian politicians have done over the last several decades? If, as was reported in the recent Ekiti elections, Nigeria’s voters are going to demand that candidates for office pay attention to the “infrastructure of the stomach,”[13] maybe the state should do that directly and then let the voters decide who can best deliver development.

    I would like to conclude with one final appeal.  And it is addressed to my own country and to Europe, as much as to Nigeria.  Whatever the total amount of money that successive generations of Nigerian politicians have embezzled and looted, some significant portion of it—probably well over $100 billion—sits outside Nigeria today in identifiable liquid and fixed assets:  bank accounts, stocks, property, and other investments and luxury wealth.  We cannot bring back to life the millions of Nigerian children who have died needlessly because their government leaders were more concerned about accumulating personal wealth than ensuring that their country’s children had clean water, decent roads, adequate food, comprehensive vaccinations, and effective education.  But when the time is right, when Nigeria has a government that is serious about controlling corruption, we can help bring back as much of this stolen wealth as possible.  And we can work with Nigerian government officials and civil society to help build the systems of accountability to minimize this hemorrhage of public resources in the future.

    Like many people around the world, I have been deeply moved by the international campaign with the hashtag “#bringbackourgirls”.  But let us use this opportunity to mobilize not only for these more than 200 abducted girls, but for the more than 2 million Nigerian girls who have died before their fifth birthday just in the last decade.  I would hope in the years to come that a similar level of international outrage and commitment can be mobilized behind a broader and more transformative campaign, led by Nigerians but eliciting unprecedented international partnership:

    #bring back our money.

    Thank you.

  • How poultry farming eradicates poverty

    While many young people dream of getting well-paid jobs, some are going into poultry farming to make a living. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Ugbo Ejike Henry is a graduate of Animal Science and Fisheries, Ebonyi State University. He was jobless after the National youth service. Ebonyi State Government called for intensive three  months training in Agriculture at Soghai Agricultural Institute in Porto Novo, Republic of Benin. He sat for the competitive exam and passed. He was among the selected 25 out of 300. After the training, he benefited from the state government’s loan and was given N2,700,000 to establish his farming business.

    He set up a poultry house (pen) for N1,400,000 in August 2009. Today, he has a lot of chickens. He sells eggs and breeds broilers, which he sells to fast food and hotel operators. He bags the poultry droppings and sells them to the crop farmers as manure.

    Henry said:“So, I make my money from the eggs and  chickens, cassava root tuber and the poultry droppings as manure.”

    He is proud that he is an employer. At Henjyk Majestic Farms Nig Limited, he is into poultry production (layers and broilers), cassava farming production, processing and packaging. Through all these,  his company has  employed some permanent workers.

    His company is in partnership with Ebony State Fadama (111) project to train people who has interest in agribusiness and  help investors to establish their farms.

    He  appealed to young people to approach farming as a business. This is because  employment is not available. He believes that youths can create their own employment regardless of their level of education.

    The ripple effect of small and medium sized entrepreneurs,  such  as Ugbo has made the difference.  He  goes to the grassroots and help  people, teaching  them  how to do business.

    Mr Stephen Oladipupo    launched the poultry business after  quitting his  job  as a marine engineer on a vessel.  Now, he  manages his  own poultry operation and has more than  500 birds.

    Adeleke Theophilus Ayodeji is a 24-year farmer. He hails from Ibadan, Oyo State. He is ambitious and with strong determination to feed the nation and prove to the world that agriculture is the key to ending poverty, unemployment and food insecurity.

    An animal scientist, he  was a participant of the Meet The Executive Business Plan Competition sponsored by Sterling Bank where he presented agriculture as a viable option for wealth creation.

    He served as an attendant and  Supervisor of Animal Production Venture, University of Ibadan.

    He said Anchor Farms is an integrated agricultural venture.

    It  has a poultry section (egg production) with about 2,300 capacity.

    He  supplies chickens. The results are not only a sustainable business, but one that encourages other youths to take up poultry  business.

    He   sees  Nigeria  as a nation  of entrepreneurs and  with  an  environment that  ensures long-term results. With a greater margin of income, he and others can  provide a safety net taking his resources to provide employment, food, clothing, and assistance to those in need.

    Miss Amoo Anifat Olawumi is an  IT graduate. She  was running a poultry business with her mum before she gained admission to a university.

    She  is so  convinced about  her future in poultry  business  that she quitting  her job  to open a big  poultry  business.

    Compared to growing crops, chickens represent a more dependable source of income for her .

    Thousands of similar stories have been playing out across the country in recent years thanks to the growth of the poultry industry.

    Being in the company of her mum  helped her  to refine her  thinking and learn from her ‘ successes and challenges. As part of the training, she developed a business plan for a poultry enterprise.

     

  • Poverty in the eyes of power

    Speaking about poverty is understandably easier than experiencing it, especially when the speaker is rich and powerful.  So, Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha may be forgiven for his apparent claim to knowledge of poverty at the fourth Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) retreat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on June 6. It was an appropriate platform to ponder poverty, particularly the pauperisation of the people, considering the fact that political governance should be concerned with the activation of “the Greatest Happiness Principle.”

    There is no doubt that the ethical principle of working for “the greatest happiness of the greatest number”,   promoted by Jeremy Bentham in his 1776 book, A Fragment on Government, is eternally relevant in the context of politics in particular; and it is lamentable that individuals in the country’s structures of power noticeably trivialise the significance of the pivotal principle in their governmental perspective.

    Interestingly, Okocha was quoted as saying that any governor shouldn’t be seen pretending to be poor since the position had nothing to do with poverty. He missed the point. Though it is correct that governorship is not a position of poverty, the status has everything to do with preventing poverty of the governed. According to him, “I was poor and I decided to fight against poverty and nothing will make me, my family and my generation to go back to poverty again. Poverty is worse than HIV. You can’t pretend to be poor.”

    It is uncertain how he arrived at the conclusion that poverty is more terrible, or more terrifying, than HIV; but it was insensitive and uncharitable to allude to people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that can lead to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), described as “a disease in which there is a severe loss of the body’s cellular immunity, greatly lowering the resistance to infection and malignancy.”  It is worth mentioning that, according to current statistics, the population living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria is 3.1 million out of the country’s estimated population of 140 million.

    It is this pitiable group that the governor flippantly compared with the poor; but there is no basis for such comparison because while HIV transmission is usually a result of specific high-risk behaviours or practices, the United Nations definition says, “Fundamentally, poverty is a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity.” In other words, poverty has a deep political dimension, which is not necessarily the case with HIV transmission.

    For a picture of the political element, the World Bank’s definition is clarifying. According to the institution, “Poverty is an income level below some minimum level necessary to meet basic needs. This minimum level is usually called the “poverty line”. What is necessary to satisfy basic needs varies across time and societies. Therefore, poverty lines vary in time and place, and each country uses lines which are appropriate to its level of development, societal norms and values. But the content of the needs is more or less the same everywhere. Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom.”

    The obvious implication of this clarity is that governments have an inescapable responsibility to address poverty in society, which is why Okorocha’s personalisation of the issue is not only misguided but also tragically disappointing. Congratulations to him on having risen far above the poverty line, which is implied by his argument against pretended poverty in political office. However, he needs to appreciate that the genuinely poor also deserve opportunities that would raise them above penury, and that is a major purpose of governance.

    Of relevance is the observation by the World Bank President Jim Yong Kim at the April IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, where he restated that Nigeria was among the top five countries with the largest number of the poor. Scandalously, the country ranks third on this list of infamy behind India (with 33 percent of the world’s poor) and China (13 percent). With 7 percent of the “wretched of the earth”, the country is ahead of Bangladesh (6 percent) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (5 percent). Together these countries are home to nearly 760 million impoverished people.

    The portrait of indigence is a tragic and inexcusable irony for an oil-rich country, and puts a huge question mark on the quality of governance at all political levels in the country. It goes without saying that the country’s poor deserve an urgent solution. Kim said, “It is imperative not just to lift people out of extreme poverty; it is also important to make sure that, in the long run, they do not get stuck just above the extreme poverty line due to a lack of opportunities that might impede progress toward better livelihoods.”  The overriding concern is whether the people in power are sufficiently interested in providing poverty-reducing opportunities, or even whether they care about anything beyond their pockets.

    Remarkably, the NGF event supplied useful insights into the poverty conundrum, especially through the contribution by a former two-term governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, who was represented by the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of the New Telegraph, Mr. Gabriel Akinadewo. Kalu told the governors: “Know that the burden you will carry as a former governor is for life. Even if you leave office poorer than you went in, a cynical public would never believe you. They believe half of the public treasury is kept in your house.” According to him, “They will come daily to line up, telling one tale of woe after the other. If you give them, they will say they only came to collect what belongs to them. If you don’t give them, they will say you are selfish and stingy.”  In conclusion, Kalu said, “When you become poor, the same people will abuse you of being a foolish man. It is head, you lose; tail you lose.  Public service is truly a thankless job in Nigeria.”

    What a sob story! He missed the point pathetically. The questions are: What is responsible for the alleged public perception that political office holders deplete the public purse for personal prosperity? Is it not symptomatic of bad governance and progressive poverty that the people reportedly queue for financial assistance from past governors?

  • Tackling rural poverty through adopted villages

    Tackling rural poverty through adopted villages

    Farmers from rural communities have been the  focus of the adopted villages project undertaken  by the Federal Government designed to institutionalise sustainable livelihoods for the rural poor. Stakeholders see the project as having the potential to end rural poverty. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Aikali Musa (not real name) is a farmer in the North.For years, he has been a subsistent farmer, planting maize and beans. Often times, he had experienced low yields or total crop failure due to poor rainfall.This is because his farm is situated within a dry land and susceptible to drought. Added to this, he has not been benefiting from new agricultural techniques.

    Musa is not alone in this predicament. There are thousands of rural subsistence farmers who have no access to farming techniques and input.

    For these farners however, there is a light at the  end of the tunnel. The adopted village model of agriculture initiated by the Federal Government is beginning to turn the fortunes of these farmers around.

    Under the scheme, Musa and others will be trained on modern farming methods and cultivation of drought tolerant crops (DTCs). This will inevitably translate to  improved yields and transform their lives from subsistence to commercial farmers.

    Under the initiative, government and private organisations are increasingly adopting villages across the country.

    The adopted villages’ project, which is akin to the extension worker’s scheme introduced in the defunct Western Region by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, is designed not only to make farmers aware of the latest technologies but also demonstrate these on their farms.

    At the end of the year, the village is expected to turn into a model for farmers from other villages to emulate.

    Sakadadi is a quiet agrarian community in Sabon Gari Local  Government Area of Kaduna State. It is noted for growing maize but things have since changed for the communtiy after the National Agricultural Extension Research and Liasion Service (NAERLS), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria decided to adopt the village to impart technologies available in maize production.

    A team from NAERLS are usually deployed in the village to enlighten farmers on how to plant, and dress the seeds, apply herbicides and fertiliser for improved crop yields.

    The project has been making tangible impact on the quality of life and incomes of members of this community as the quantity and quality of agricultural output has increased.

    As a strategy, research institutes are using the adopted village scheme to change the fortunes of local farmers. A farmer who identified himself simply as Abdulrahman said the scheme has changed the fortunes of his community. “We not only produce to feed ourselves and families now, we also have excess which we sell to get income to send our kids to school,” he said through an interpreter.

    Determined to address the poverty challenge among rural farmers, the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) has directed the National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) to revisit and revive the concept of adopted villages. ARCN asked research institutes to adopt villages to facilitate the trial of new research findings and dissemination of information technologies to farm families in the adopted villages.

    Subsequently, successful researches from the adopted villages are adapted and replicated in new locations to benefit farmers.

    In support of this initiative, the World Bank has approved a major funding forARCN to implement a project known as the West African Agricultural Productivity Project (WAAPP) to promote value chain innovation platforms in the adopted villages.

    NAERLS, in collaboration with  WAAPP-Nigeria conduct activities in seven adopted villages located in five agro-ecological zones across the country. These include Sakadadi,Kaduna;Nasarawan-Buhari, Kaduna; Tudun-Iya, Katsina; Shuwari, Borno; Nwogi, Niger State; Okolo, Oyo State, and Lodu-Imenyi, Abia.

    The Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Ibadan, has two adopted villages.They are Oniyo village in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State. It is about 21kms Northwest of Ogbomoso town. The second is Moloko-Ashipa, located in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. Some of the activities carried out in adopted villages include evaluation of organic-base fertiliser for cassava/maize/melon, on-farm testing of high yieldng and pest resistant varieties of rice and dissemination of ethno-veterinary technologies and improved management practices to sheep and goat farmers.

    Agricultural colleges are adopting nearby villages to help farmers improve their methods and increase yields.

    In Oda village, Ondo State, the Federal College of Agriculture (FECA), Akure has  a   success story to tell with educating  farmers in modern poultry management.  The  result is better eggs production and  daily sales. The maize/cassava inter-cropping system chosen by Eleyewo village  farmers was used as a training resource for improving productivity in the system.

    The Coordinator, WAAPP /ARCN adopted village programme, FECA, Dr Samson Odedina, said  the programme has  increased yields  for small cassava farmers at Eleyowo village in Akure South Local Government of the state. Though village level processing facility was  manual, farmers have been able  to identifiy opportunities within the cassava value chain.

    According to him, last year, the programme commissioned and trained Eleyowo farmer groups on cassava value addition with equipment support to enable them do business  profitably.

    FECA is one of the three colleges of agriculture adjudged qualified for second round funding.

    ARCN project of adopted villages and schools is based on  performance in spreading proven agricultural technologies to  schools and communities.

    WAAPP-Nigeria’s National Project Coordinator, Prof Damian Chikwendu, said the programme was designed to strengthen the  NARS to contribute to technology development, dissemination and adoption of new technologies to boost agricultural productivity through the adopted villages.

    He said the specific objectives of adopted villages and schools are to enhance food security and market competitiveness, empower resource-poor farmers, enhance job and self-employment opportunities for youths and women and augment sustainable natural resource management efforts of the communities.

    So far, beneficiaries’villages have increased from seven to 23, while groups in the villages have increased from 21 to 105. Direct farmer-beneficiaries have reached a total of 16,500.

    About 17 secondary schools nationwide are participating with over 18,500 pupils’ enrolments.

    He said WAAPP and some universities are disseminating information on improved agricultural technologies through adopted villages to farmers.  The institutions include Bayero University, Kano; Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto; Abubakar TafawaBalewa University, Bauchi; Federal University of Technology, Yola; University of Agriculture, Makurdi, University of Ilorin, Federal University of Technology, Minna; University of Abuja, FUNNAB Abeaokuta, FUT Akure, University of Nigeria, Nsuka; University of Calabar and the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

    On the effective dissemination of agricultural technologies through the adopted villages and the Agricultural Research Outreach Centres (AROCs), he said the universities are expected to reach a minimum of 10,000 farming families in their vicinities.  They are, particularly, required to note the performance indicators as part of their success stories. Such indicators, he said, include the number of people that are adopting the technologies as well as those taking to farming as a result of the new technologies.

    The adopted villages and AROCs are located in the immediate localities and in the secondary schools in the neighbourhood of the research institutes, all within 20 kilometre radius.

    The components of the projects are designed for developing technology and transferring such technologies to farmers. At the moment, experts are seeing positive things coming up to farmers through the adopted village model scheme.

    Crop protection specialist, Prof Daniel Gwary, said helping farming families increase production in a sustainable way and selling more crops is the most effective way to reduce hunger and poverty over the long term.

    Gwary, who is of the Department of Crop Protection, University of Maiduguri, said  helping farmers improve their yields requires a comprehensive approach that include the use of seeds that are more resistant to disease, drought, and flooding; information from trusted local sources about more productive farming techniques and technologies and  greater access to markets.

    For this reason, he  said the ARCN has set up  AROC in adopted villages and schools to help researchers interact and develop technologies that meet the needs of farmers in various agro-climatic conditions in the country.

    He said the research centres will provide effective linkage between extension, research and farmers; and enable researchers to be aware of the social and economic environment in which their developed technologies will be applied.

    Speaking during the handover ceremony of an AROC in Bwari Area Council, ARCN Executive Secretary, Prof Baba Yusuf Abubakar, said the programme would engage 5,000 farmers yearly in the participating area councils.

    Represented by Director of Coordination and Technical Research of the council, Prof. Olusola Oni, he said the research centres would provide effective linkage between extension, research and farmers; and enable researchers to be aware of the social and economic environment in which their developed technologies will be applied.

    “The programme is impacting on the FCT through the dissemination of proven agricultural technologies and innovations from the NARS to farming communities and secondary schools in Abuja Municipal, Bwari and Kuje area councils,” Abubakar said.

    Handing over the centres to the community and the school, the Coordinator of the programme, Dr Ronke Alao, said the inclusion of secondary schools in the programme is to spur pupils’ interest in agriculture and  increase the application of improved technologies in their household farms.

    While appreciating the gesture on behalf of farmers in the area, the leader of the farmers, Sarkin Noma, Salisu Galadima, commended ARCN for considering Kawu village, adding that farmers in the community will take advantage of the centre to improve their farming activities.

    The programme is a collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, the West African Productivity Programme in Nigeria (WAAP-Nigeria) and support from the World Bank.

    For watchers, the project has demonstrated the viability of poverty reduction through entrepreneurial capacity building. It could be repeated elsewhere.

  • Okonjo-Iweala clarifies World Bank’s poverty rating of Nigeria

    Okonjo-Iweala clarifies World Bank’s poverty rating of Nigeria

    The Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said World Bank’s “extreme poor nation’’ rating of Nigeria was based on the large number of poor people living in the country.

    Okonjo-Iweala made the clarification when she interacted with newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that World Bank President, Dr Jim Kim, on Wednesday in Washington, announced that Nigeria was among the world’s extremely poor countries.

    The other countries that were also rated as Nigeria were India, China, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Pakistan, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya.

    Kim had said “the fact is that two-thirds of the world’s extreme poor are concentrated in just five countries: India, China, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    “If you add another five countries, Indonesia, Pakistan, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya, the total grows to 80 per cent of the extreme poor,” he said

    Okonjo-Iweala explained that the number of poor people in a country irrespective of the country’s level of development was the parameter used to rate Nigeria among nations with high poverty level.

    According to her, the phenomenon of large number of poor people is peculiar with middle-income countries which Nigeria belonged.

    “Indian is a middle-income country, one of the largest economies in the world like Nigeria, is a big economy, but the largest number of poor people in the world reside in Indian, China and other places.

    “Most middle-income countries, including Brazil have large number of poor people that is the reality of today and Nigeria is no exception.

    “And when the World Bank president was talking he also talked about those countries. He mentioned that India is doing well and it has a large number of poor people,’’ she said.

    “So, we should not try to single Nigeria out. The phenomenon we have in Nigeria is that we are growing but there are poor people everywhere,’’ she added

    She advised that the focus of Nigerians now should be on the answers to the problem raised by the World Bank and what other countries were doing that Nigeria could learn from so as to improve.

    “Nobody says that everything is fine but we are learning and where we make some progress like other countries, we should also acknowledge it,’’ she stressed.

    She said that the Federal Government was making efforts in different areas of the nation’s economy to reduce poverty and improve living standards of the people.

    According to her, President Goodluck Jonathan has mandated four or five of the ministers to work together to formulate a social safety programme to be implemented for the benefit of the citizens.

  • Empowering cocoa farmers to reduce poverty, boost food security

    Empowering cocoa farmers to reduce poverty, boost food security

    Despite doing about 66 per cent of cocoa work, women earn only 10 per cent of its income. They are also financially excluded and discriminated against when they apply for loans, leaving them poor. The Farmers Development Union (FADU) plans to come to their aid. Daniel Essiet reports.

    Many small-scale farmers and their families depend on cocoa for a living. One of them is Mrs Martha Ade (not real name). Because cocoa grows well in her area, it is the main cash crop for some farmers. In the past, income from cocoa has helped them to feed and meet their basic needs. But not so now.

    Mrs Ade earns little income because of poor quality of the produce and limited access to markets. Most times, the price they received from their cocoa is low. Those who work like contract farmers accept low pay because of the low prices offered by middlemen who visit their farms.

    Most women farmers were cheated on the weight of their product, and the price they received for it is too low to meet their needs. Other women found that they could no longer make a living from cocoa.

    Some of the farm plots are small with ageing trees that are becoming less productive. As farmers, they did not meet certain necessary requirements, such as owning assets. This lack of knowledge and understanding is further compounded by gender discrimination limiting women’s options.

    There are many families, whose situations are terrible and need change. How to resolve this has drawn the attention of the Farmers Development Union (FADU), a leading farmers’ cooperative in Ibadan. In response, the group organised a stakeholders’ workshop. It was aimed at bringing about improvement in women, particularly the poorest. It also focused on mainstreaming gender justice, improving cocoa quality, promoting the national and local markets and diversify livelihoods to reduce over supply and vulnerability.

    Addressing a gender sensitive cocoa workshop in Ibadan, the Programme Coordinator of FADU, Mr Victor Olowe said women do much of the work in the industry, but earn small income. They experience higher financial exclusion and are discriminated against when they apply for loans.

    Since they cannot access the capital to invest, they are trapped in a cycle of poverty and subsistence living.

    As a result of this appalling condition coupled with the economic situation in the country, Olowe said many local women, who engaged in farming, live in abject poverty and remain vulnerable.

    He also said without land rights, women, as cocoa farmers are vulnerable, unable to take responsibility for their well-being and that of their children.

    Such rights and opportunities, he noted, empower women, enhancing their status and food long-term security.

    He explained that crop’s production is, particularly, good for women farmers. That is, if they have the same access to input, such as credit and fertilisers.

    He added that small cocoa farmers, especially women, have poor bargaining power. They typically sell at low price to the market.

    To this end, he said a lot of small farmers need to be connected to better markets to boost their productivity.

    What FADU has done is to band them in groups, so the farmers can sell their produce in bulk, connect to better markets and realise more of the crop’s value.

    The groups offer a forum to improve farming skills through training and demonstration plots. And the members of business groups are better to access critical input and services, such as seeds, fertilisers, irrigation systems and credit.

    Another method the organisation is using to highlight the plight of women is through the Gender Action Learning System (GALS). The GALS approach represents a creative approach reaching marginalised voices in the supply chain: poor men, and especially, women. It is useful not only to non-governmental organisation ( NGOs) or development agencies, but for social auditors.

    The Programme Officer, Women’s Empowerment Mainstreaming and Networking (WEMAN), Oxfam, John Ajigo, said cocoa production involves many households, adding that it is crucial not only to incomes of rural households, but also the national economy. As in many value chains, women are important as producers and small traders. But they face a vicious cycle of gender discrimination and gender based constraints, which limit their ability to contribute to the industry, or to benefit from it.

    He said his organisation used GALS with many women and men producers and other stakeholders to sensitise them on the need to get more women into cocoa work.

    Getting this through, give women and men in communities the drive to push gender justice.

    The Project Manger, FADU-Continaf Kokodola Project, Mrs Mopelola Fabunmi, said the gender action learning programme emphasises strengthening the role of women in the cocoa value chain industries and improving food security in households.

    A participatory methodology, she explained that GALS through pictures, canvasses the inclusion of the marginalised ones in the value chain and discussion of sensitive topics such as gender equality. Ultimately, she said the visual method of drawing contributes rich data through enhanced participation,which can feed into enhanced sustainability programmes.

    Through the programme, she said women learned new ideas and skill, experience and activities to increase food production for consumption and income.

    Mrs Mopelola said her project has trained 1,600 farmers in Oyo and Osun states.

    She said the project is helping the farmers to access new markets, by working also with Continaf International, Dutch cocoa trading firm, ASN Bank, the Sustainable Trade Initiative, and the cocoa producers, Delfi and Ferrero.

    But a major challenge is to increase the number of women cocoa farmers participating in the programme, about 20 per cent.

    Controller, Programmes, FADU, Mr Bayo Olaniyan said his organisation found women smallholder farmers make a large contribution to the production of commodity cashcrops on their farms, but derive a disproportionately low direct financial benefit from their work.

    He said empowering women farmers is crucial to poverty reduction, food security, and economic stability and growth.

  • Buhari decries high rate of poverty in spite of oil wealth

    Buhari decries high rate of poverty in spite of oil wealth

    A former Head of State Gen. Mohammadu Buhari, Thursday lamented the high rate of poverty in the country in spite of the oil wealth accruing to the nation.

    He spoke at the 50th anniversary lecture of the Nnamdi Azikwe Hall of the University of Ibadan.

    He said oil wealth alone without good leadership cannot take people out of poverty.

    Buhari, who chaired the occasion, emphasized that the type of leadership needed to transform a nation in desperate need of development is a mixture of old, experienced leaders and young leaders who are brimming with strength and vigour.

    The lecture, with the theme: “Youth and the future of Nigerian Politics,” was delivered by former Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Shettima Mustafa.

    At the lecture were Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi; former governor of the state, Rashidi Ladoja; Interim National Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande; Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe’s eldest son, Bamidele; APC Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alh Lai Mohammed and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir El Rufai.

    In his remarks, Buhari praised Azikiwe for his contribution to the development of Nigeria. He recalled that he had known the late sage since his school days.

    He said: “Azikiwe was the most out-spoken and internationally recognised Nigerian nationalist.

    He was a true Nigerian and his vision extended beyond Nigeria or West Africa. He dreamt of Continental Union, similar to what Europe is trying to do now. He deserves all the honour and accolades we can heap on him albeit posthumously.”

    With reference to the exploits of many old, experienced leaders, Buhari justified the need for such leaders to be given a chance while also accommodating young ones.

    His words: “China and Japan post 1945 had a history of very old people managing the affairs of these two great oriental economies. Mao Zedond and Chou En-Lai in their 70s laid the foundation for their successor, Deng Shao Ping, to bring one billion people out of poverty into self sufficiency in food supply and an economy second only to the US.

    “Charles de Gaulle led French resurgence after the war when he was over 70 years and in Britain, three old men managed its recovery through 1950s and 1960s. The last three Saudi Arabian kings ascended the throne in their 70s and 80s and see what transformation the nation enjoys in the last 40 years. If you think that this achievement is solely due to oil resources, take a look at Nigeria and consider what poor use we made of our resources.

    “The ideal thing is to have a mixture of experienced people who will bring their wisdom to bear and young men and women with energy and vigour to cooperatively run an administration. A young Singaporean leader, Lee Kuan Yew in his 30s assumed the premiership position and turned his country to a beacon of efficiency, prosperity and growth. John Kennedy is another good example of a young leader.  He kick-started American technological achievement by inspiring oratory,”

    While delivering the lecture, Mustafa, who was Azikiwe’s running mate in the Second Republic, said Nigerian youths have a lot to learn from the old politicians and the political philosophy of Azikiwe.

    He said: “The youths have a great role to play in governance and national transformation just like we have in the Arab Spring, but the place of our elders cannot be pushed aside. Governance is like a relay race; those in the starting point must do well for the latter runners to finish well.”

  • ‘Fight against poverty cannot be won overnight’

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals (MDG), Dr Precious Gbeneol, spoke with Editors in Lagos on the activities of the MDG Office. OLUKOREDE YISHAU was there.

    As we count-down towards 2015, what are the investments you look forward to in the area of reducing extreme poverty, especially bearing in mind it is the first MDG’s target?

    Like you may well know, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs was established in 2005 as part of the robust mechanism for coordinating the efforts and executing the initiatives targeted at attaining the MDGs in Nigeria. The funding, which is drawn from the Debt Relief Grant is appropriated in the annual budget to scale-up existing high-impact MDG-related interventions. It is meant to supplement capital expenditure, not to pay debts, salaries or other recurrent expenditure.

    Since my appointment, I have brought my passion to innovate and execute high impact projects on the vulnerable to bear and as we count down to 2015, we are scaling up investments in a bid to reducing extreme poverty.

    The fight against poverty in Nigeria is an on-going task and I can however confirm to you that a good percentage of the MDGs fund has gone into the fight against extreme poverty and we are still making more investments towards eradicating poverty in the country. These are evident in the projects executed and spread across the country. Also in addition to the direct intervention from the MDGs office, we have been supporting other sister agencies with funds aimed at reducing poverty.

    Agriculture has not had its dues for some time now. What is your office doing on this?

    We are also taking steps to accelerate the growth of the economy through a stable macroeconomic environment. As well as address infrastructural gaps and create an enabling environment necessary for a market-based, private sector-driven economy with policies that ensure pro-poor economic activities.

    Growth recorded in Nigeria economy in the past 10 years, particularly in the agricultural sector has led to a remarkable reduction in proportion of underweight children, from 35.7 per cent in 1990 to 27.4 per cent in 2012. Government at federal, state and local government levels have continued in their efforts to develop agriculture and create jobs. This include creating an enabling environment for agro-business, including building critical infrastructure, making regulatory services transparent and providing sustainable access to enterprise finance.

    In bid to improve food security, OSSAP-MDGs has increased support to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. In 2011, N541 million was provided for agricultural investment targeted at improving food security. In 2012, the sum of N5.1 billion was allocated while in 2013, the sum of N4.73 billion was appropriated in the Federal Budget to foster food security. The increased allocation in 2012 and 2013 was done to support Government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

    What initiatives has the MDG’s office designed towards curbing poverty?

    MDG 1 is the responsibility of government at all levels, ranging from the federal to the local government. A large chunk of our national budget is aimed at tackling goal one either directly or indirectly. Construction of roads, investment in healthcare, trade, agriculture, power are all geared towards reducing poverty. My office exist to fill the gaps and advise policy makers on the areas where more attention is needed at any given time.

    To tackle poverty effectively, there is a need for a robust approach. Increasing economic participation by majority of the populace in a diversified economy (for instance in an agriculture-based economy that provides employment for most Nigerians that live in the rural areas) is a sine-qua-non to bring people out of poverty. The place of quality basic education followed by some sort of skill acquisition to reduce employment poverty is well known. Other factors such as access to quality health care, good infrastructure, security, access to capital by the disadvantaged in the form of Social Safety Nets like Conditional Cash Transfers and micro-credit to boost Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME) are imperatives that must be in place to win the fight against poverty.

    What is the role of your Special Projects Unit?

    The MDGs Special Projects Unit in my office recorded remarkable success within its short period of existence. The Project deals with the execution of particular interventions in Constituencies with the interventions aimed at addressing development gaps. The span includes education, health, water supply, small scale power supply, and skills acquisition centers. Completion rates for the 2012 budget year approach 98%.

    Take us through some of the responses or reactions of Nigeria’s rural poor, particularly with regards the initiatives set up towards the achievement of the goal…

    The responses have been encouraging. Though we are not where we intend to be, it is however evident that lives of the rural poor are been impacted daily. A good number of them are taking advantage of the various schemes implemented by the office to move out of poverty. There are numerous reports of some of these people who got little grants from the office and have successfully turned it into big investment in the areas of fisheries and others.

    Also most of the enrolees in the conditional cash transfer scheme are also saying good bye to poverty already. Recently, I was in Ekiti State to flag off the scheme in the state and you could see the jubilant crowd of beneficiaries. Our intention is to take many lives as possible out of poverty before the deadline.

    Poverty reduction (MDG 1) is the foundation for the other MDGs. Success with this Goal enhances the likelihood of attaining the other Goals. If you look at it critically, if a community is empowered, the community will construct hospitals and will have access to good nutrition, quality healthcare services as well as quality educational facilities. I can say that the sum total of the MDGs is embedded in Goal 1. Everything revolves around poverty.

    It is pertinent to point out clearly that the eradication of poverty is not the sole preserve of OSSAP-MDGs. Poverty has multiple causality, which should be addressed. All hands must therefore be on deck to effectively deal with this problem.

    What have been some of the challenges in trying to scale-up initiatives that will support the achievement of the goal?

    First of all, we must accept that funding is never enough to do all that we would have loved to do, so we prioritise. Nigeria is a massive country. For you to make impact across the country, you need mega sum, but our budget is limited. In the same vein, counterpart fund has also been a major challenge. Since development is the shared primary responsibility of government at all levels, most of our projects or programs are counterpart funded by the sub national governments. This synergy between the federal and sub national governments have helped the country to move faster on the MDGs track, however, we sometimes experience delays in release of counterpart funds and this could reduce our speed. Although funding can never be enough in the course of development, the political will demonstrated by the President and judicious use of the available resources is however making up for this gap.

    Another issue is trust. Because of previous failed promises, citizens tend to be skeptical about the genuine intention of government interventions, hence ownership and buy-in is hampered. However, over time, people have come out of their shells to support our programmes and projects. We are calling for more support for the MDGs because all hands must be on deck for us to attain the goals.

    The is also the problem of vandalism, lack of ownership, security and maintenance of projects by the communities, acceptance and usage of the projects already executed due largely to cultural considerations as well as challenges of executing projects in some difficult and ‘hostile’ terrains.

    Will Nigeria achieve the number one MDG’s target by the year 2015?

    The fight against poverty cannot be won overnight. It requires concerted effort from all stakeholders including federal, state, local governments, private sector and individuals. Everyone must display commitment if the battle must be won. Already, things are looking up and the hunger target has already been met.

    The progress recorded by Nigeria in goal has received international recognition with the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) honouring Nigeria for meeting the hunger target well ahead the 2015 deadline. Government efforts have led to the reduction of the number of Nigerians suffering from hunger from 19.31 million in 1990 and 1992 to 13.38 in 2010 and 2012. There has also been a decline in the prevalence of under-nourishment in the country from 19.3 per cent in 1990/1991 to 8.5 per cent by 2010/2012. This is below the MDG target of 9.7 per cent that was set for 2015.

    The implementation of the CCT Scheme has helped Nigeria attain Goal 1 of MDGs by preventing over 100,000 basic school aged children from dropping out of school. It has also helped indigent beneficiaries especially widows and the aged realise the dreams of sending their children back to school and access to primary health care. The scheme has also encouraged utilisation of basic health service infrastructure in the rural areas because of addition of health component to the conditionalities for under-five children to access basic health services of immunisation, vaccination before households receive cash transfers.

    Overall, the CCT programme have helped increased school enrolment and retention while at the same time increasing household food consumption with improved living conditions of those concerned.

    Conditional Cash Transfer has also helped in the improvements of gender parity since they provide funds to girls incentivising them to stay in school. Nigeria investment in CCT is expected to lead to significant changes in women empowerment and increased socio-economic inclusion for vulnerable groups.

    OSSAP- MDGs projected that all the 36 states of the federal including FCT would soon be benefitting from the CCT under the Conditional Grants Scheme. This milestone will immensely go-along- way to further reducing poverty and social exclusion currently evident in many parts of the country.

     

     

     

     

  • Poverty no excuse for failure, pupils told

    Poverty no excuse for failure, pupils told

    With an education, determination and a love for books, even pupils from underprivileged backgrounds can get to any height of career achievement.

    That was one of the vital lessons pupils of Eric Moore Senior High School, Surulere, Lagos learnt when ‘Beyond the School’, a career counselling initiative of the Nigerian Breweries Plc, passed through their school.

    Poverty, they were told by the project’s coordinator, Mrs. Clementine Vervelde, was no reason not to excel in life.

    It was her response to a question from one of them, who wanted to know how a young person whose socio-economic background limits the availability of funds for food, clothing and other life’s essentials could choose a good career.

    Telling her life’s story, the SS1-SS3 pupils learnt how a poor Rwandan girl was able to grow into a professional who could speak five languages because of her ability to dream and read.

    She said their access to education was already a foundation on which they could build successful careers, urging them to add imagination and determination to it.

    “You have to believe in yourself and dream big. The fact that you are already in school is a first step that you are capable to achieve anything. In Africa, we always use poverty as an excuse for our situation, but we know of great people who, despite their poverty, were able to achieve great things.

    “When a child is born, he or she does not have a choice of a mother or father. But that child has a right to education. I was born in a small village in Rwanda, but even as a little girl I dreamt. My first dream was to see children in Africa believe in themselves and be able to change the world,” she said.

    She also told them her secret to success was through books she read from an early age. She said the ‘Beyond the School’ initiative was initiated to address the poor reading culture of Africans through book donations to schools so that pupils from any background can read and be serious about excelling right from their youth.

    Mrs Vervelde said: “The challenge we have in Africa is reading. Through this initiative, we also give books to schools. But as students, you must also play your role. Instead of fighting on the streets, get together with your peers, interact and share information. You have to love yourself and feel you are good enough. Each of us has our unique quality so explore it.”

    To succeed in their careers, Mrs Vervelde counselled the pupils to choose careers because of fulfilment, and not just to make money. She also advised them to choose subjects that are relevant to their careers and ensure they have interest in them.

    “Career decision making for students like you is important because at this stage, you are developing and the choices you make may drastically affect not only you but your family and friends,” She added.

    Speaking at event, the Corporate Affairs Adviser, NB Plc, Mr. Kufre Ekanem said the ‘Beyond the School’ is gaining ground because of its impact on pupils in the schools visited so far.

    “We have come to show the students what they need to do to realise their dreams. This is the fifth school under this project and this is because of the feedback and positive response the programme has received so far. This is part of the NB winning with Nigeria vision. We have also built and renovated facilities in schools and we are committed to giving students the right guidance they need to succeed in life,” he said.

    From Eric Moore, the NB Plc train moved to impact pupils of another school, Igbobi College, this time, through the renovation of their senior block.

     

     

    The two-storey classroom block in question was the first to be built in the school in —–.

    The rehabilitation was done in collaboration with the 1974-1976 set of the Igbobi College Old Boys Association (ICOBA).

    Speaking at the inauguration, the Managing Director, Mr. Nico Vervelde, represented by the Human Resource Director and an old boy of the school, Mr. Victor Famuyibo, said the renovation was undertaken through the NB/ Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund (ETF) and included the refurbishment of classrooms and library, replacement of roof, floors, doors, windows and donation of books.

     

  • I knew poverty, but rose above it – Michael Bush

    I knew poverty, but rose above it – Michael Bush

    Fast-rising businessman, Michael Bush, the Chief Executive Officer of Bush Group in Abuja, is a young man with great acumen. Coming from a humble background did not in anyway pose a challenge. If you ask him about his fond memories as a child, he will tell you he doesn’t think he had a childhood. But he did. Bush grew up at a place called Bekumu in Cameroon.

    “I spent most of my early life in a fishing port in Cameroon. My father was a fisherman. None of my parents went to school. Until I was 13, I did not know about cars. Until then also, I did not have access to a colour television or even electricity. There was even no access to an air-conditioner for me until I was eighteen. Whenever I remember my childhood, I remember running and playing football. The place is called Bekumu. That was where I attended primary school. Sincerely, I don’t recall much of fond memories,” Bush said.

    Surprisingly, Bush never tried to fish or swim. This was because his father put a restriction in place. He said:”I think my father at that time was heavy on himself and his children too. He had many of us. But he did not want any of his children to travel along the paths that he had travelled. He preferred education for all of us. Though I grew up in a fishing port, you’ll be shocked to know that I do not know how to swim. My father didn’t allow us. So if I couldn’t swim, there was no way I was going to know how to be a fisherman.”

    But that created the difference in his life. Somehow, he knew that there was more to life than fishing. “So I listened to my father and embraced education. I didn’t have the privilege of getting education early. For instance, there was nothing like nursery school for me. I didn’t have the privilege to attend to school until I was seven or thereabouts. That was about the age I enrolled in primary school. But somehow, even without that early formal education, I knew that there was a better life. I knew that there could be a better life than waking up, going a-fishing, seeing poor people all the way as they struggled with poverty. I knew that somewhere, there would be a better life, and there would be electricity. I knew that life couldn’t just be about waking up to struggle with kerosene and lamps. It was really a hard life. I knew there would be something better.h said.

    ” I didn’t know at that point about education. All I knew then was that there must be something better that life could offer,” he said.

    But how did young Michael conquer poverty?

    “I was privileged to go to school. As a child, I used to be very bright. I remember that clearly. In class three, as it was called then in Cameroon, I was picked as one of the brightest in the school. At class seven, I was to be made the head boy. But the headmaster felt that I was too small to be Head Boy over the bigger boys in the school. We used to have boys who were 20 years old in that school. So I was made the Assistant Head Boy instead. Now I do not know how that has affected my political interest and destiny.

    “I went on to achieve a Cameroonian scholarship, despite being a Nigerian, because I had performed marvelously. I passed the common entrance with flying colours. As a policy there, once you perform well, the Cameroonian government trains you. I’ll like to thank them, President Paul Biya and the people of the cuntry. I like their leadership style, I like their consistency. When I left secondary school, my parents insisted that I return to Nigeria because, according to them, I was becoming more and more of a Cameroonian.

    “So in 1990, I made my first trip to Nigeria to try it out here. On getting here, I was told I had to do the JAMB examination. I didn’t know about that. I didn’t even know about the education system. So for about two, there years, I struggled to get into a university because I was suddenly faced with new different textbooks to read. I had to do History, Literature in English and the English Language to be able to study Journalism. I ended up studying French at the University of Uyo.

    “ While in Cameroon, I dreamt of returning to Nigeria to read Journalism at the University of Nigeria. I would have changed, but I was told that I was already doing well, even when I joined the class two months late.

    “Shortly after leaving the university, there was a great man then who was running the Akwa Ibom State Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC). His name was Dr. Mboho. I was freelancing with them when he offered me employment. I didn’t want it, but I considered him to be somebody that I could not say no to. He gave me the appointment letter, and the following day, I had to start work with the AKBC. He was removed the following year, and I saw that as an opportunity to leave,” he said.

    In 2003, Bush started what later became an independent programme on television called “AM Express Extra” which ran five days a week, starting 9 am. “We did that for two years and then went on radio. We later had a newspaper in Akwa Ibom State.

    “Our dream has always been to have a one-stop media house where we have the television, radio and newspaper , operating independently and as one big group. We have successfully been doing this now for ten years. In the next two years, we hope that our radio station will start operation. We are also working on a television station. Right now, we are on Kapital Fm 92.9 in Abuja five days a week. We are on the network service of Radio Nigeria every Saturday 4. 30 pm. We are also online, whereby you can listen to our programmes live. Our newspaper, News D’or, is online. The title of the newspaper is French which means the best news. In Akwa Ibom State where we started, News D’or can be read on the streets. We are working on it becoming a national newspaper soon,” he said.

    Michael Bush, who was recently honoured as the Patron of the Akwa Ibom Community in Abuja, is also a player in the politics of state. Not minding the fact that he had to relocate to Abuja after his bedroom was broken into in Uyo and his wife kidnapped, the young CEO, still embraces his people and remains a dedicated philanthropist.

    Bush said: “I was really contented with my lifestyle in Uyo, but fate led me to Abuja into bigger things. Even when I told her we were moving to Abuja, she laughed in disbelief, but here we are. The kidnap experience left me very bitter. I was doing well there, but then God knows best.”

    He commends the federal government for some of the reforms being put in place. He thinks that the government is being poorly marketed.

    “I am focused. It has been about being attentive to planning and much strategising. That is what has brought us this far, and I am sure that it will also take us beyond this present stage that we are,” he added.