Gom Mirian
Dr Olusoji Adeniyi, a renowned social development expert and former chairman of the United Nations Pension Fund, has urged the Nigerian government to shift its focus from the distribution of palliatives to addressing the root causes of poverty in the country.
According to Dr. Adeniyi, the Tinubu administration’s plan to distribute five billion naira to combat poverty among the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is unsustainable, given the stark disparities in income between the states.
In an interview with Africa Health Report (AHR) in Abuja at a bi-Annual leadership lecture and graduation ceremony of the 18th set of the Centre LSD leadership school, Dr. Adeniyi emphasised the need for a more sustainable approach to poverty reduction, which goes beyond short-term relief measures.
“The number in Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt can’t be compared with the numbers in Ebonyi, Cross River and Bayelsa, so how does the Governor in Bayelsa feel so confident going home to 100,000 people in the lowest quintile with 5 billion naira and then the person in Lagos also get the same for 1.2 million people in that same wealth quintile? So we need to think through this.
“And I didn’t think that it was well thought through in the distribution that has been done. We need to understand that we need to move from a cash-down hand system to a system that sees the need of people and addresses the need of the people. You should want to understand if the people you want to distribute grains to are the people producing the grains themselves, but they can’t even eat it because they want to sell all of it.
“So the kind of subsidy that they need is the one that can make them produce more and eat more but the one that they can transport their produce from wherever they are to where they want to sell it with a guaranteed kind of pricing that gives them a living opportunity wherever they are in the country. So we need to think through these not because we just want to do political correctness.”
He called on the government to use the current crisis as an opportunity to invest in critical sectors such as healthcare, agriculture and education, which have the potential to create employment and generate income for millions of Nigerians.
Dr Adeniyi also stressed the importance of inclusive policies that prioritise the needs of vulnerable groups, such as women, children and the elderly.
He urged the government to work closely with civil society organisations and other stakeholders to ensure that the voices of marginalised communities are heard and their needs are fully addressed.
In addition, he recommended a holistic approach to poverty reduction that tackles the underlying factors driving inequality and promotes sustainable development for all Nigerians.
