2023: Int’l body tasks incoming president, others to address poverty, deprivation

As the 2023 general election draws near, the International Organisation for Food, Shelter and Empowerment (IOFSE), has asked those that would emerge leaders at all levels to address the issues of poverty and other forms of deprivation in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of IOFSE, Declan Okwudiri Oguine, gave the advice Wednesday in Ideato, Imo state while speaking on the forthcoming 2023 general election.
It would be recalled that the National Bureau of Statistics in November 2022, disclosed that N133 million Nigerians, representing 63 percent of the population, are multi-dimensionally poor.
The NBS said the huge number of poor people in the country was caused by a lack of access to health, education, living standards, employment and security issues.
A World Bank assessment revealed that Nigeria’s poverty exceeds global projection and describes the country as the poverty capital of the world.
Giving more insights on the poverty level in the country and the interventions of the global organisation, Oguino who was flanked by the Country Director and the Director of Operations, said although they have no interest in partisan politics, IOFSE is purely concerned about the needless ugly situation Nigerians face.
He added that with the huge human and material resources available in the county, Nigerians have no reason to wallow in poverty and acute suffering as has been the case for years.
He said none of the administrations that have governed Nigeria over the years has been able to find lasting solutions to the malaise of poverty, unemployment, lack of shelter, quality education and others.
The IOFSE Executive Director, however, acknowledged that there have been laudable attempts by a few ministries and agencies in the past and present to address the issues, saying despite that, the efforts have failed to yield the expected results.
He posited that in spite of the campaign promises of candidates for the office of President, governors and lawmakers at all levels, the incoming leaders should take the battle of confronting poverty and empowerment of the people as first-line charge.
“What we believe at IOFSE is that ending poverty, which means, crafting and deploying policies that would empower the people, to make them self-sufficient and capable of employing others, should be the number one concern of the incoming administration at all levels.
“The above should be seen as an emergency because almost every other aspect of governance is tied around poverty and deprivation. Deprivation and the pressure that comes with it is one of the major causes of insecurity and crimes,” he stated.