Poverty remains one of the leading forces effectively against social and economic developments. Considering the effects of poverty on the nation's socio-economic developments, observers note that past administrations in Nigeria have introduced various programmes to end it. Economists have argued that from the earliest National Accelerated Food Production Programme in 1972 to National Poverty Eradication Programme, none of them has been able to fight poverty as expected.
Despite rising inflation rates and cost of living, the existing civil service salary structure (CONPSS), which was established in 2011, is yet to be reviewed. This has resulted in gradual erosion of the value of civil servants’ salaries Over the years, there has been a lot of difficulty with attracting top talent graduates into the civil service. Relative to other industries in the private sector, entry level civil servants can be paid up to 5x less than private sector companies.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the government has stimulated local and international efforts targeted at improving the lives of the poor and the most vulnerable in the society and a full adoption and implementation of the goals were clear commitments of the Federal Government to eradicating poverty in the country.
The MDGs Office ensures that poverty alleviation related projects are delivered directly to beneficiaries through multi-level synergies that leverage resources and the requisite political support from all levels of government. This effort is to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years and the country is reformed to a better level
Taking 100 Million Nigerians Out of Poverty
H.E President Muhammadu Buhari stated this in a keynote address at the Nigeria high-level side event on ‘SDG Integration – Bridging the Policy Planning – Budgeting Gap for the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and at a two-day retreat for minister-designates in Abuja that:
“We must work as a team. Working as a team demands that we know what the next person is doing. You must open communication with your colleagues. Lack of communication leads to a lack of cooperation and sub-optimal performance.“
“When economic inequality rises, insecurity rises. But when we actively reduce inequality through investments in social and hard infrastructure, insecurity reduces.“
“Nigeria’s economy would grow 2.7% this year – but that was below the central bank’s 3% forecast in March. We are working to lift Nigerians out of poverty and set them on the path to prosperity. We intend to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty over the next 10 years.”
Initiatives for Poverty Alleviation for Nigerians
Establishment of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) targeting the poor and vulnerable members of the Nigerian population
Home Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSF) component is feeding almost 10 million school pupils daily and empowering over 90, 000 local catering staff across the country.
Process of domestication and customization of the Integrated Sustainable Development Goals Model
Integration of planning tools to complement existing ones currently in use at the national, sectoral and sub-national levels
Empower the less privileged for self-development and fulfilment, especially the poorest Nigerians, the unemployed, and provide them with hands up, giving them the opportunity to lift themselves out of their predicament.
Monitoring and Evaluation of project to ensure it meets the needs of the target beneficiaries of the intervention programmes