Stakeholders task incoming governments to sustain interventions on poverty alleviation

Published

2 months ago

November 15, 2022

L-R: Sadiq Usman, Director, Nigeria Flour Mill; Rushman Murtaza, Deputy Representative, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); Sola Afolayan, National Coordinator, Multidimensional Poverty Index; Semiu Adeniran, General Statistician of the Federation; Yosola Akinbi, National Coordinator, Core Task Force on Human Capital Development at an interactive panel on ‘Multidimensional Poverty’ hosted by the SDG Forum on the sidelines of the Nigerian Economic Summit 28 (NES 28) in Abuja

Sustainable Development Goals

Stakeholders have advised incoming governments after the 2023 general elections to align and sustain national development plans and interventions to end poverty and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

High Level Forum

They made the call during the special session of the High Level Forum on the SDGs at the 28th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES 28) on the theme “Multidimensional Poverty”, organized by the Economic Summit Group (NESG) in Abuja.

Adeyemi Adeniran

Mr. Adeyemi Adeniran, General Statistician of the Federation and Executive Director of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), said that discussions are taking place with political parties to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the programmes.

National Poverty Index

Adeniran added that the National Poverty Index (NPI) will guide national planning to align with projects and programs.

“The government is making plans through the national assembly, legislative arms in sync with Nigeria’s action plan 2021-2025.

National Development Plan

“The legacies that the current regime will leave for the incoming government in this medium-term National Development Plan, as well as in the 2050 National Action Plan.

National Development Plan

“There are discussions between the government and all the political parties that whoever enters assumes the priority of the government’s National Development Plan,” he said.

He added that the NPI will also help the government unify MDAs to work to address the rate of gender inequality, unemployment and underemployment, improve access to healthcare and education.

“There are so many programs aimed at addressing the issue of multidimensional poverty.

“The government is looking at both the federal and state levels in terms of health, nutrition, productivity, young Nigerians in general.

Nigerian National Development Programmes

“Putting them together and looking at the Nigerian National Development Programmes, 2021-2025, where the government has indicated passion to lift 34 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2025.

“All of these are aimed at eradicating multidimensional poverty by the government,” he said.

He added that the NBS would release the 2022 NPI results and poverty situation room/lab with full details and data on poverty on Thursday.

Rush Murtaza

In addition, Rush Murtaza, UNICEF Deputy Representative, said that the evidence and data would help rethink and make investment plans to address the challenges affecting children in Nigeria.

Martaza emphasized the need to use the available data to plan and invest in policies and interventions that address the challenges that affect children, especially in regards to health, education, and nutrition.

“UINCEF is an integral part of generating this data, we have invested heavily and have been looking at overlapping multidimensional child poverty.

“That we use another methodology but now with the NPI, we have introduced and invested in a chapter to see what happens to a child within the home.

“Children, whether they have access to education, health care and other deprivations they face.

“It’s a critical path, but it will give us an understanding of what’s happening in the states of children’s situation, then we can make the investment accordingly,” he said.

According to her, the NPI will also allow interested parties to know specific areas to channel resources and interventions towards poverty alleviation.

Sadiq Usman

For his part, Mr. Sadiq Usman, Director of Flour Mills, Nigeria, linked multidimensional poverty in Nigeria to global forces such as the Russia–Ukraine war, which he said affected the global market and commodities and resulted in food insecurity. .

He said the only way to tackle poverty in Nigeria is through creating economic resources for people through skills and taking a private center approach to creating job opportunities.

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