The Poor We Have With Us Always; A Call For Review -By Elijah Akoji

Poverty is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity in our time, its not a recent development. This is clear from the fact that there is no nation, tribe, race or color that does not have terms to describe the phenomena of poverty and the poor. Take for example the three often referred to groups in Nigeria we have (Hausa), (Igbo) and (Yoruba), respectively.

Poverty is a global phenomenon. It is in the developed and in the developing countries. The difference is only in degree and prevalence. In the United States of America based on estimates of the level of income needed to cover basic needs, the official poverty rate in 2015 was 13.5 percent. This, in population terms translates to 43.1 million people On the other hand, the poverty rates across the European Union in 2014 show a high rate of over 25% in Romania and a low rate of less than 9% in Czech Republic; the United Kingdom was about 16% (Office for National Statistics, 2016). While South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are said to account for 80 percent of the global total of those living in extreme poverty, half of the extreme poor live in sub-Saharan Africa.

Nigeria ranked 130th out of 189 in the world’s richest and poorest countries in 2016 considering GDP per capita, adjusted for relative purchasing power. Poverty exerts deleterious effect on people’s life and living. In days gone by even in places where there is no officially-declared caste system, you hardly find the rich marrying from poor families as if poverty is infectious.

Thus, as the saying goes, the rich is friend to the rich; the poor is friend to the poor. But the poor of the land is so acquainted with poverty and seems to portray Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s lyrics of “Suffering and Smiling.” Jimmy Cliff’s “Suffering in the Land” with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer captures the root of most poverty experience in the world namely, inequality where, in the US in 2013 for instance, the wealthiest 10 percent controls three-quarters of all family wealth. Poverty is so pervasiveness that “No poverty” constitutes the very first of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) while the rest of the goals will appear to address the ways to end poverty. Take a look at the following goals:

Over the years In Nigeria, poverty is more like a plague within us as people suffer dearly to meet ends need, getting a good housing over time has become a mirage,  good job is reserve for high network individuals, political actors and influential  people who can afford to pay for the job or as a result of connection and networking.  We are caught up in this and hope seems to be far away from us as all effort to making this work again has been politicized.

The scripture says in Deuteronomy 15:11 that there will be poverty in the land,  there was actually no country mentioned attached to this  scriptural passage,  but unfortunately , we as a nation have embraced it and made it and it has eaten deep in to our system causing numerous crime and all sort of atrocities.  We are be witched by our failed system and politicians.

The Nigerian state is a victim of high level corruption ‘bad governance, political instability and a cyclical legitimacy crisis. Once national development is retarded and political environment uncertain. The country authoritarian leadership faced legitimacy crisis political intrigues in ethnically degenerated polity.

The prevalence of poverty is evident as so many people suffer unconsciously as a result of poor management of the social system and the economy; this has affected the facet of human life leading to many fleeing the country is search of a better life outside the shores of this country. Recently , there is a media report that more than 7000 Nigerians were  deported back from Ghana, facing a deportation from a country which is less than Nigeria is all resources is so shameful and embarrassing, this I believe won’t happen if only our economy is working and the high rate of poverty is reduced.

There are better ways we can resolve this prevalent menace eating into the fabric of our national unity and live, people are tired of the poor state of things and affairs, the masses need poor attention and care from the leaders in the helm of affairs so as to savage the present state of poverty in the land.

God Bless Nigeria

God Bless Nigerians