HOW NOT TO ALLEVIATE POVERTY
Yes, no doubt about it. Poverty is spreading currently in Nigeria.
Many are losing their jobs including in more recent times bankers once considered to be well paid and indeed, have for long been providers for many extended family mouths across the land.
Many who still have jobs and guaranteed take home monthly now find at the market place that take home barely now takes one to work, pay the rent and there is little left to sustain the nuclear family as before not to talk of extended dependants.
Many who are self employed even if hitherto under employed and just managing to stay afloat and independent are now finding it increasing difficult to earn enough to settle recurrent bills, not to talk of futuristic expenditures like insurance and pensions not to talk of savings.
Many, of course, hitherto well fed by governments or relations in power are having to get less from spoils of victory and spoils of political appointments.
Many government offices across the land and even roadsides are now litered with for sale signs on young and old second or third hand cars put on the block to raise critically needed Naira.
They say housing shortfall persists in most places but not necessarily in office property especially in high priced places like Lagos and Abuja. Office space for rent now stare one in the face at every turn and from many high rise and polished buildings and shopping malls.
Yes, no doubt about it, poverty is galloping like excited cow boys in Yankee movies especially with less foreign exchange available with which to import goods and local production groans under pressure from increasing cost of operation, overrun by advances in technology outside Nigerian shores and unreliable infrastructure.
But then, even though all these have common denominator called money, the best way is not to throw Naira at gaping mouths or at quick fix solutions. No, money by itself contains no solution for spreading poverty, it lies in either increasing production of subsistence goods and services or making people realise or imbibe that poverty, most times too, is lack of contentment.
Better still it lies in combining both.
That is why in highly populated nations like China and India grinding poverty reigns like king everywhere but contentment makes it look not so excruciating.
In view of the share population size, rules abound that make people content with fix number of children and access to facilities.
Of course, many of their leaders also lead by example, strive to remain credible in the eyes of the populace and try their very best to promise or make pronouncements that are feasible.
No poverty in Nigeria can be checked by creating commissions to tackle poverty like one hears the Nigerian law makers are now proposing while failing to learn from the NIger Delta Development Commission and various poverty banishing programmes since operation feed the nation.
Jobs are not created too by intervention funds dole out without capacity or will to ensure it funds direct and capital cost of production capacities as against running costs especially while CEOs and executives over seeing sustain their pockets through perks and allowances hardly earned or related to productivity.
Poverty or hunger certainly can only be very temporarily reduced through Buharis' s kind of free meals for school pupils so long as production capacity that fund government coffers remains in the doldrums.
So the only choice Nigeria has is not to threaten existing business concerns with withdrawal of licenses and certificates for sacking workers or taking advantage of loopholes in existing laws but create and sustain the right environment for production of goods and services to Increase in Nigeria both to substitute for imported ones and target possible export markets abroad.
All these empty tough talking and rules tinkering with each whim of any one in power only end up scaring both local and foreign investors and making matters worse.
Many are losing their jobs including in more recent times bankers once considered to be well paid and indeed, have for long been providers for many extended family mouths across the land.
Many who still have jobs and guaranteed take home monthly now find at the market place that take home barely now takes one to work, pay the rent and there is little left to sustain the nuclear family as before not to talk of extended dependants.
Many who are self employed even if hitherto under employed and just managing to stay afloat and independent are now finding it increasing difficult to earn enough to settle recurrent bills, not to talk of futuristic expenditures like insurance and pensions not to talk of savings.
Many, of course, hitherto well fed by governments or relations in power are having to get less from spoils of victory and spoils of political appointments.
Many government offices across the land and even roadsides are now litered with for sale signs on young and old second or third hand cars put on the block to raise critically needed Naira.
They say housing shortfall persists in most places but not necessarily in office property especially in high priced places like Lagos and Abuja. Office space for rent now stare one in the face at every turn and from many high rise and polished buildings and shopping malls.
Yes, no doubt about it, poverty is galloping like excited cow boys in Yankee movies especially with less foreign exchange available with which to import goods and local production groans under pressure from increasing cost of operation, overrun by advances in technology outside Nigerian shores and unreliable infrastructure.
But then, even though all these have common denominator called money, the best way is not to throw Naira at gaping mouths or at quick fix solutions. No, money by itself contains no solution for spreading poverty, it lies in either increasing production of subsistence goods and services or making people realise or imbibe that poverty, most times too, is lack of contentment.
Better still it lies in combining both.
That is why in highly populated nations like China and India grinding poverty reigns like king everywhere but contentment makes it look not so excruciating.
In view of the share population size, rules abound that make people content with fix number of children and access to facilities.
Of course, many of their leaders also lead by example, strive to remain credible in the eyes of the populace and try their very best to promise or make pronouncements that are feasible.
No poverty in Nigeria can be checked by creating commissions to tackle poverty like one hears the Nigerian law makers are now proposing while failing to learn from the NIger Delta Development Commission and various poverty banishing programmes since operation feed the nation.
Jobs are not created too by intervention funds dole out without capacity or will to ensure it funds direct and capital cost of production capacities as against running costs especially while CEOs and executives over seeing sustain their pockets through perks and allowances hardly earned or related to productivity.
Poverty or hunger certainly can only be very temporarily reduced through Buharis' s kind of free meals for school pupils so long as production capacity that fund government coffers remains in the doldrums.
So the only choice Nigeria has is not to threaten existing business concerns with withdrawal of licenses and certificates for sacking workers or taking advantage of loopholes in existing laws but create and sustain the right environment for production of goods and services to Increase in Nigeria both to substitute for imported ones and target possible export markets abroad.
All these empty tough talking and rules tinkering with each whim of any one in power only end up scaring both local and foreign investors and making matters worse.
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