FG restates commitment to lift Nigerians from poverty

Plateau begins land revenue drive

Despite the recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that Nigeria’s social safety was suffering from limited coverage and weak targeting, the Federal Government has promised to continue implementing policies that will impact positively on the citizenry, especially the poor and vulnerable.

The National Coordinator, National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), Dr. Umar Bindir, disclosed this at the capacity building workshop on Design and Implementation of effective Social Safety Net Programme organised for NSIP staff in Karu, Nasarawa State, at the weekend.

He said the issue of lifting Nigerians out of poverty “is dear” to the president.

The training was aimed at helping the staff gain in-depth understanding of the conceptual and practical issues involved in the development of individual safety net programmes and full safety net systems that protect poor and vulnerable groups from income risk, link them to essential social services and help them escape poverty.

His words: “This workshop will expose the managers to basic tools needed for effective implementation and delivery of set objectives. This is another opportunity given us by the minister, to ensure that officers are empowered with relevant knowledge to enhance delivery of set objectives.

“As you may be aware, social safety net (SSN) is an integral aspect of the President’s agenda to reduce poverty and improve governance system, as well as hold people accountable for what they have been funded to implement.”

MEANWHILE, Plateau State government is embarking on a massive revenue drive to meet up with some of its responsibilities.

The Commissioner of Lands, Survey and Town Planning, Yakubu Dati, stated this at the stakeholders’ engagement held in Jos, yesterday.

Dati further identified five priority areas, namely enumeration of properties, re-certification of titles, standardisation of titles conversion from customary to statutory and massive issuance of demand notice for payment of ground rent.

In a keynote address entitled ‘Efficient Land Administration and Revenue’, Vice Chancellor of the Plateau State University, Bokkos, Prof. Yohanna Izam, charged the ministry to simply access titles as a lead way to improved revenue.

In her remarks, former chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mrs. Ifueko Okauru, urged stakeholders to acquaint themselves with the Consolidated Revenue Law and to see payment of taxes, rates and fees as a civic responsibility.

In their various submissions, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Organised Private Sector (OPS) and other stakeholders pledged to support the initiatives.

Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Danladi Atu; Chief of Staff, Noel Danjur and Chairman of Plateau State Economic Team, Nde Gomos commended the ministry for bringing professionals, technocrats, development partners and clients of the ministry under one roof to brainstorm on the way forward for the development of the state through increased revenue generation.