By Afolabi Aribigbola
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T he release recently of the growing incidence as well as the multi-dimensional nature of poverty level in Nigeria by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), a federal government agency created to study, monitor and release data on various aspect of the social milieu in the country has again brought to the fore the escalating incidence of poverty in the country. It also indicate the seeming indifference or inability of governments to address the growing cankerworm bedeviling the society. Otherwise, the country ought to be experiencing some reduction or success in tackling the very knotty issue that is increasing instead of abating in all parts of the country.
Elsewhere, all tiers of government or sub national governments are involved in addressing the issue of poverty by creating means and ways to create jobs and other opportunities that would take people out of the doldrum of damaging lack of wants as well as create social support systems to assuage poverty including unemployment benefits, social housing and other social services to assist the poor to enjoy minimum facilities and services for the vulnerable to make living meaningful to them. Rather our governments keep supporting and subsidizing the goods and services being exclusively consumed by the wealthy or high-income groups. And often focused on conflagrate spending or projects as recently pointed out by the President of the country. He added that some of the governors concentrate on bogus projects that has no direct relevance on the welfare and good living condition of their people.
Indeed, the above scenarios is against the backdrop that the country has been tagged the world poverty capital, but the recent release of the multi-dimensional nature and extent of poverty in the country suggest the need to do something urgent about the hydra headed problem before it destroy the entire country. Unfortunately, the response from the government is to pass the buck between the national government and the state governments as well as revelations about how state Governors have been collecting money from the federal government and pocketing it. Worse still the Federal government accused the states of embezzling local government funds.
Although, this has been refuted by some of the governors, but the fact still remains that they control the funds accruing to the local government in virtually all the states of Nigeria. In the past some powerful governors insisted that the Local governments are part or subsumed under the state government, arguing that a federation consists of the Central and the federating units (states). Of course, this was why it was alledged that some of the Governors mobilized or instructed the Houses of Assembly not to approve constitutional amendment to grant autonomy to the local governments in the country during the last constitutional amendment exercise in the country. This of course is not our concern today, we have only mention it because they have been exposed by the federal government of promoting poverty by their activities of embarking on projects that has no direct relevance to enhancing the welfare and good living of the people as well as corruption among others. The growing poverty level in the country and the potential danger associated with me have been a source of worry to me and several other discerning individuals and groups for some times. Yes, poverty have been with mankind from time immemorial and the poor will continue to co-exist with the wealthy in all societies of the world.
However, the dangerous dimension in Nigeria and seeming indifference to the problem should be of serious concern to all patriotic and forward looking individuals and government functionaries. This is because it has the potential potency to engender crisis and disorder if not tame and controlled as is obtainable in more prosperous societies of Europe and America where the poor are supported in several ways.
That a segment of the leadership of the country is not really bothered or seriously concerned with the humongous and rising poverty level is clear especially by some states government who prefer to fund statutory deductions at the expense of workers and their people. This was why the President accused them of increasing poverty of their people despite bail outs that have been made available to them by the Federal government. The danger is that the gap between the rich and the poor continue to widen and more and more people are becoming impoverished which if not checked could force them to react through revolt against the wealth that wastes the scarce resources of the nation on expensive consumption and lifestyle.
The truth is that the outcome of such scenarios may not be predictable. Of course, many revolts and revolution in history were known to have been caused by such tendency and unwholesome development and action of leaders that care less for the poor in their society.
Besides, the fact that indifference of leaders in the country to the damaging poverty in the society can engender crisis, disorder and riots of unimaginable magnitude, it has the potency to continue to deplete the human resources and its quality through sicknesses that will make them unproductive and death. Indeed, people that are poor that lack the basic things of life will become weak, feeble and unable to work and can cause death though widespread diseases and sicknesses. Also, the prevalence of unproductive large population will retard the overall progress and development of the country. This is because they will not be able to work to support as well as contribute to the growth and development of the country.
As demonstrated above, the cost of indifference to the growing multi-dimensional poverty in Nigeria could be very grave and wide with serious consequences if not urgently attacked and addressed. Therefore, leaders at all levels must begin to show genuine interest that will culminate in the institution of programmes of actions to provide succour to the poor as well as reverse the dangerous trend and its potential destructive potency. Such efforts and actions must embrace redistribution of the country’s resources in a more equitable pattern to curtail wasteful pattern of living of the select rich that have constituted themselves as owners of the wealth of the nation. Corruption that has served as the beacon of amassing wealth must be wiped out or drastically reduced so that more of the resources of the country can be available to provide facilities and services that can make life conducive for all the people of the country.
A situation where a few priviledge individuals will continue to plunder the limited resources of the country cannot guarantee better distribution of the resources of the country. It is high time the country begins to articulate and implement policies and programmes to support the poor as against the present one that support the rich. A society that claimed to have spent billions on school feeding when schools were closed due to covid-19 pandemic cannot but continue to have a large population of the poor. As presented the cost of indifference to escalating poverty in Nigeria is a time bomb that can explode anytime and the country’ s leaders must not continue to be indifferent to the unpalatable retrogressive situation that could throw the country into an unimaginable problem in the future.
It is time to tame poverty before it destroys the country and her people. It is a time bomb.
