Concerned by the level of poverty in Nigeria and its devastating effect on majority of Nigerians, the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), held a poverty eradication seminar to provide financial assistance and ideas for the management of small and medium scale businesses. Senior Correspondent, ONYEWUCHI OJINNAKA, reports.
Poverty remains endemic in Nigeria, despite the introduction of several poverty eradication programmes by successive governments and civil society organisations. According to statistics, the incidence of poverty has significantly increased in Nigeria since 1980.
Successive Nigerian governments have sought to address the challenges posed by poverty by focusing on rural development, such as improving the access of farmers and rural producers to credit facilities and encouraging the development of small and medium scale enterprises.
The National Economic and Development Strategy (NEEDS) was designed to significantly advance the quality of life of Nigerians, create social nets for the vulnerable and meet the requirement of people displaced by the reform process. Among other targets, the strategy sought to create jobs and empower many displaced Nigerians with special attention to young school-leavers or graduates. But the efforts hardly impacted the problem of poverty due to combination of factors among which are poor policy formulation and coordination, policy somersaults, weak institutional framework and lack of effective coordination among the various tiers of government.
It is on this background that some civil society organisations (NGOs) and corporate organisations deploy poverty eradication and empowerment programmes to complement government efforts.
One of such NGOs is the JDPC of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos.
3,000 empowered in Apapa
JDPC Apapa Deanery of the archdiocese held a seminar recently on poverty eradication and empowerment. It was a programme aimed at imparting knowledge to the over 3,000 participants on how to be creative, obtain soft loans without stress and manage resources.
The seminar featured talks on how to create multiple streams of income, how to generate business ideas, grow own business, as well as how to be a major player in the oil and gas sector, real estate, travels and tourism and networking businesses. Participants were also tutored on how to distribute fast-moving consumable goods, beverages, kitchen equipment and electronics with little capital.
Participants were exposed to the opportunity to obtain loan between N50,000 and N2 million instantly at the venue without collateral or stress from the resource providers that are in partnership with JDPC. It also afforded participants the opportunity to be instant distributors while job placement was assured.
Speaking with TheNiche, the Apapa deanery coordinator of JDPC, Bright Ago, said the programme was one of the things JDPC does for the society and the Church.
“When we see that poverty level in the society is much, we organise a programme to bring the people together, to know what they can do to make ends meet,” Ago explained.
According to him, the programme affords the participants opportunity for creation of multiple streams of income, so that somebody can shoulder his or her responsibilities without much stress.
He further said that JDPC empowers people by giving job placements and provision of finance for small and medium scale businesses.
Resource institutions
JDPC, Ago disclosed, partners with finance institutions such as Fidelity Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Bank of Industry (BoI), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and about four micro-finance banks for the provision of soft loans without stress, so that people can enhance their income and responsibilities.
“We open wealth avenues which people do not know exist, and we also tell them that their lifestyle could lead them to poverty. When you get empowered through ideas, you can know how to manage your life,” he pointed out.
Speaking on conditions for obtaining the loan and mode of repayment, Ago said normally there are bottlenecks in obtaining loans.
“But what JDPC does is to liaise with the bank, the resource people and discuss with them to help people by removing or relaxing those bottlenecks or stiff conditions and allow two credible guarantors that can attest to suitability of the applicant, and that the applicant can manage whatever that is given to him or her. With the less interest loan from the bank, JDPC has therefore paved the way for people to swim out of poverty.
“With the removal of bottlenecks, people can obtain loan and repay with ease,” he added.
Duration of loan
Ago said the duration of loans is sometimes six months, but because of the intervention of JDPC, which argued that the time is short and makes people still remain where they were, the bank can give a period or tenor of one year. But for BoI, it is two years before repayment could commence.
However, after returning the loan, the same person can take it again as a fresh loan, provided he can prove the proper management of the fund. The loan can be rolled over for another two years.
“This makes JDPC empowerment scheme very unique,” Ago posited.
Limitation of recipients
According to Ago, there is no dichotomy. The loan is for qualified applicants, and recipients are given equal treatment.
“JDPC is for the society. It is for the world. Justice is for everybody, as it is not limited only to members of JDPC. It is not even only for the Catholic (Church) fold. It is for the entire society irrespective of religion, tribe or gender,” he explained.
Some participants expressed delight on the programme, saying that it has afforded them the opportunity to know various options of wealth creation and how best to run their businesses with maximum profit.