Northern CSOs dismiss Buhari’s poverty fight, lament corruption in social investment scheme
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A Civil Society Organisation (CSO) coalition in the 19 Northern states and Abuja says disclosure that 133 million Nigerians live in abject poverty affirms social investment by the Muhammadu Buhari administration fails to achieve its purpose.
The Conference of Northern States Civil Society Networks urged the anti-graft agencies to probe Abuja spending on social safety-nets and poverty alleviation schemes executed under Buhari between 2015 and 2022.
It also wants the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to establish why poverty is on the increase, especially in the North.
Coalition Chairman and Kano Civil Society Forum President Ibrahim Waiya wondered why poverty rates keep on rising despite huge sums spent on social investment programmes.
Waiya spoke in Abuja, where he lamented that 65 per cent of the poor or 86 million people live in the North.
He said all 18 presidential candidates for the 2023 election must explain to Nigerians how they intend to tackle poverty as well as their plan to develop the North.
“The most recent figures made available by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) referred to as Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) survey has unambiguously indicated that things are worse than what they were formerly in 2015,” Waiya reiterated.
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Effects of corruption
“The results of this survey among other issues have exposed the effects of corruption, as 63 per cent of persons living within Nigeria, representing 133 million people, are multi-dimensionally poor, while the 65 per cent of the poor, representing 86 million people live in the North.
“This survey, which was carried out by a government-owned agency, even proved beyond reasonable doubt that the world had underestimated the poverty rating of Nigeria, as reported on World Poverty Clock,” Waiya said, per The Guardian.
“Riding on the above, it is becoming more evident that the crusade against corruption in Nigeria is most needed now, as most of the factors that contribute to the level of poverty in Nigeria are attributed to the high level of corruption in governance.
“Considering the huge investment of this government on social investment programmes, we urge the leadership of anti-graft agencies such as EFFC and ICPC to conduct a discrete investigation on the funds claimed to have been disbursed by some Federal Government Ministries and Agencies, to find out what has gone wrong.
“The investigation into this matter is significant, as there is no correlation between the funds invested in the social protection programmes and the increased rate of poverty in the country.”