POVERTY Alleviation Programmes nationwide, is a sign of government’s recognition of the worsening living conditions of Nigerians as well as the poor socio-economic state of families which deserve enhancement.
DUE to the global economic recession which has created an almost permanent state of inflation in all spheres of life, particularly in Nigeria, governments all levels have severally attempted to fashion out ways of enhancing the living standards of its citizens, through the floating of different programmes to co-ordinate activities aimed at enhancing the peoples living standards.
SOCIETAL ills and delinquent acts such as armed robbery, stealing temper-tantrums, incest, prostitution, rumour mongering, lying, political thuggery and acts of brigandage; all have their roots in poverty.
PSYCHOLOGICALLY, the old saying that a hungry man, is always an angry man, is very succinct at this juncture. This is more so, as their hungry condition, flows from the fact that they have no jobs; and so, their idle minds naturally would become the “devil’s workshop”.
PHILOSOPHICALLY, poverty finds expression in several ways. As aforementioned, it could be sociological in nature in which case, there is a dislocation in the social orders; economic, in which the people would be in a constant state of want; psychological because it makes the people to have poverty of the mind and intellectual deficiency to the extent that they begin to exhibit acts and behaviours that are degrade in nature.
SOCIETAL malaise like human trafficking which has come to assume a very dangerous dimension, alcoholism, kidnapping, drug abuse, drug peddling, etc. are all by products of poverty on the society, governments worldwide at all levels, make conscious efforts to combat it squarely, by instituting and establishing different bodies to carry out measures that would help cushion its effects on human lives.
BACK here in Nigeria, both government and non-governmental organisation have variously tried to contain the scourge of poverty, but it has proved so difficult a phenomenon to deal with.
FOR instance, the former military government of General Babangida established the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to handle the issue of poverty through employment so as to engage the idle minds of the jobless, to take them away from crimes.
Later came the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) as constituted by Chief Obasanjo government and currently there is the Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP) by the present regime.
IT should be pointed out though that these bodies have tried the best of their strength, but till date poverty looms in the Nigerian society.
CONSEQUENTLY, governments in the country, (both Federal and State) have declared so to say, a “national emergency” in the social sector of the economy by looking at ways of stemming social vices through combating poverty.
THE former Women Affairs Minister, Mrs. Josephine Anenih, had declared that implementing Poverty Alleviation Programmes aimed at enhancing the socio-economic conditions of families, is the only panacea for combating issues of child trafficking and prostitution.
AS a necessary follow-up, the Edo State Government through its Poverty Alleviation Programme Directorate, demonstrated its resolve to eradicate poverty from the state by distributing income-generating equipment worth over N2.2 million, to the less privileged aimed at improving their living standards.
THIS initiative by the state has continued to elicit support and response from stakeholders, individuals, local government councils and politicians by giving new lease of life to the less privileged in the society by donating means of generating income to indigent members of the public.
ALSO worth commending, is the recent ‘Edo 4 Real Poverty Alleviation’ Promo initiated by Clement Omolue in conjunction with Edo State Government.
At this point, THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER identifies with the current spirit of empowering the down trodden, bearing in mind the old Chinese proverb which says teach a man how to fish and he will forever remain independent, and to admonish that continuous advocacy and sensitisation programme targeted at the rural communities should be the strategies of improving the lot of the people.
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