Govt, Alleviate Poverty||John Jimoh

President Bola Tinubu’s new year message didn’t answer questions on the avowed palliatives, especially the N500bn he okayed for the scheme. Millions of poor households and the vulnerable are out in the cold. They demand an explanation.

Many small-scale businesses that depend on petrol to survive due to epileptic power supply have gone out of business. It is time to interrogate past national leaders on the mismanagement of our commonwealth. Our past leaders did not put the interest of the people at heart, I mean people who elected them to positions of trust to manage their God-given resources.

Regarding the distribution of palliatives, we call upon the government to end the discrimination now. On poverty alleviation, I want to point out that vast arable lands in the country remain uncultivated.

The Federal Government should roll out plans that will engage both old and young Nigerians to farm the vast arable lands that remain uncultivated. The qualification for engagement on the farms should be all about physical fitness. If the government rolls out such plans and any physically fit but unemployed Nigerian refuses the offer of employment, such a person will definitely be on his or her own.

Registration centres should be opened in all the 774 local government areas for the purpose of mobilising those willing to be bailed out of poverty. Such a programme by the government can be regarded as a poverty alleviation scheme, which is good for the economy. The government should not give an excuse of the paucity of funds. It should direct those funds frittered away on ostentation and aesthetics to fund this project.

Source: Punch