THE pang of poverty assailing Nigerians was brought to the fore on Wednesday with an official figure of 70 million people living in the country assessed to be living below N65 a day.
This amount is about 48 cents below the $1 a day project for some poorest countries around the world.
The National Co-ordinator of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), Dr. Magnus Kpakol made the disclosure at the opening of a one-day meeting of NAPEP management, state co-ordinators and secretaries in Abuja on Wednesday.
“Nigeria initially had a poverty rate of 28 per cent which progressed to 70 per cent in 1999 but we have been able to bring it down to 50 per cent.
“It is disheartening to know that 70 million Nigerians live below N65 a day. This means that one in two Nigerians live in poverty,” Kpakol said.
The co-ordinator, who said he had a mandate from President Umar Yar’Adua to ensure that no Nigerian must be left in misery, said, “it is un-Nigerian to see a Nigerian in misery and leave him behind.”
He charged the state co-ordinators, whom he described as generals in the battle against poverty, to be innovative and creative in discovering ideas that would break the vicious circle of poverty.
Kpakol noted that prior to 1996, the U.S. changed what was known as “welfare to workfare” and this contributed tremendously to that country’s growth.
“NAPEP will tear a leaf from that so that even the poor can contribute to the national economy and benefit in the process,” he said.
In an address of welcome, Mr. Ibrahim Zarewa, who is the new secretary of Programmes of NAPEP, said the meeting would enable him to get first-hand information on the status of NAPEP programmes.
“I urge you all to pursue vigorously our mandate not only in touching lives but mainstreaming them into the economic activities of the nation,” Zarewa said.
He thanked Kpakol, whom he described as “Mr. President’s chief representative of the poor”, for his support since he assumed duty.