CAN POVERTY BE ERADICATED?

Yesterday, the world celebrated world poverty eradication day. But than even as the day was being marked to galvanise thoughts and actions towards poverty eradication, a major question remained: Can poverty be eradicated?

The answer is no, it can not be eradicated; it can only be reduced. So it looks like by opting for eradication, the global effort was already doomed to fail.

And that is not just  because poverty is relative from country to country but also, because it is like trying to create a world that does not have  opposites.

Give 10 people the same amount one minute, come back in an hour to ask how much they have and what they have spent money on, you will find wide disparity. One or two may already be richer while the majority will either have the amount intact or have made themselves poorer through the choice they made.

That is for the best of level playing ground that can be assumed. Of course, there is no society in which that ideal exists; in all climes all we as human beings have in common is that as individuals we come to earth alone and say goodbye to it alone too.

Besides, wealth inequality statistics available from some countries indicate quite clearly that if there is sure horse formula for eradicating poverty, neither the so called first world nor the third world has access to it.

Yes, some countries are doing better than others but within each country there is relative poverty and income inequality.

In Russia, for example and in spite of decades of practising communism, about 1% of the population is reported to own 70.3% of the country's wealth.

In India, reports have it that 1% own 53% of the wealth and 10% own 76.3%.

In the United States of America, after decades of practising equal opportunities for all within the law, 1% reportedly still own 37.3% of the nations wealth.

Japan, according to reports, comes closest to the ideal of the same share for equal number. In Japan it is said that all millionaires put together own 22% of the national cake.

Here in Nigeria inequality statistics is in short supply but assumptions tend to associate extreme poverty with the rural people. For example, agriculture is estimated to contribute 45% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and it employs 90% of the rural population.

Poverty reduction, according to experts, depends on how level the playing field is; government efforts at developing shared infrastructure, and shared social services like education and healthcare.

Unfortunately, in many African countries, including Nigeria, corruption; uncontrolled population growth; exclusive, as against inclusive, policies and actions do not allow any of these to be well developed.

Besides, there still exists genda inequality and discrimination as in President Buhari:s recent my wife belongs in the kitchen.

Yet, no one can reduce poverty, talk less of eradicating it without addressing all of these issues.

Rest assured that distribution of monthly stipend to the poor does not qualify as a way to reduce poverty. Only political egos stand to be inflated for as long as the ill advised egunje (free portion) lasts

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