On the 30th of November, the Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu, emerged to declare that the Federal Government had plans to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty over the next 10 years. This promise is one that is in no way new to Nigerians. It’s a statement Nigerians have heard repeated over and over since President Muhammadu Buhari got into office.
The President, on Thursday, reiterated this ‘promise’ via Twitter; stating that the presidency remains dedicated to the poverty elevation scheme in the country.
“We remain committed to the plan to lift 100m Nigerians out of poverty. To this end, I have approved an increase in the scope of our Social Investment Programme,” he said.
Nigerians, thoroughly exhausted with the promise and fail cycle of Nigeria’s politicians, were quick to voice their exasperation. Many pointed out that the president has consistently said he’s dedicated to poverty alleviation yet this year has seen the exponential rise in the price of goods, economic recession and a fast-climbing unemployment rate.
A recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), stated that about 40 per cent of people in Nigeria lived below its poverty line of N137,430 ($381.75) a year. This represents 82.9 million people. Where is the poverty elevation Buhari keeps speaking of, if almost half of the country’s population is by definition ‘poor’?
In summary, Nigerians are sick and tired of audio promises.
Toluwanimi Onakoya is a spirited writer, creative and videographer. Her biggest drive is to connect with people and depict tales using various forms of media.
Toluwanimi is available on Instagram and Twitter @nimi_onaks
Leave a reply