State governments have a major role to play in reducing multidimensional poverty in their domain because the effect of public funds handed over to many states from the centre is hardly felt in rural areas where a large number of Nigerians living in poverty live.
According to the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, rural poverty is mainly as a result of poor infrastructure which States are in a better position to provide, rather than concentrating on projects with little impact on the people.
“In the last few days, there have been exchanges in the media space on multidimensional poverty and how 133million people (or 63 per cent of Nigerians) are multidimensionally poor compared with 40 per cent of Nigerians that are poor in terms of income, according to the national monetary poverty line.
“But one aspect of the report is the worrisome level of multidimensional poverty in rural areas which stands at 72 per cent compared to 42 per cent of people in urban centres.
“Coming at a time that President Muhammadu Buhari revealed that State governors have been diverting allocations meant for local government administration, it is easy to understand why rural areas are not getting the required government presence in spite of efforts by the Federal Government.
“And for those who think that the Buhari administration should be blamed for the outcome of the multidimensional poverty index, our message to them is that the high incidence of rural poverty has a lot to do with deprivation in education, healthcare, rural roads, food insecurity and housing at the lowest level of governance in the country.
“So we dare say that President Buhari was right in saying that the high level of diversion of LG allocations is responsible for stunted development at the local government level,” the group added.
BMO said that the Buhari administration has done more than enough to ensure that States have access to funds at a time of a global economic crisis, while wondering why development is not trickling down to rural areas.
“It is public knowledge that within its first year in office, the Buhari administration approved bailout funds for no fewer than 27 States which had problems paying salaries and pensions.
“Now, it is estimated that the federal government may have supported States with over N5 trillion since 2015 in intervention for salaries and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This, according to the Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed, is aside from the additional 3.4billion dollars that had also been provided to States in the course of the administration.
“And perhaps what best captures the administration’s penchant for supporting the States was the revelation by Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers on the release of 13 per cent derivation deductions that were not paid to the Niger Delta States since 1999, totaling N625billion.
“Like security, fighting poverty should not be left solely to the federal government that has a National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) in place and has always ensured that states get what is due to them.
“We also urge Nigerians to learn to ask their State governors what they do with public funds, including intervention funds they receive rather than the unnecessary fixation with the federal government,” it said.
BMO reaffirmed that Buhari would continue to work in the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians until his last day in office.(NAN)
