FG sets agenda towards lifting 100m Nigerians out of poverty

The Federal Government has set up a plan to fulfil its pledge of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty, by creating jobs through different Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari in his 2019 Democracy Day address said, “With leadership and a sense of purpose, we can lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.”

In order to actualize the vision, Sen. George Akume, Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs has convened an inter-ministerial meeting with other ministries to collaborate towards achieving the set goals.

According to a communiqué issued by Mrs Julie Jacobs, Director Press, in the ministry on Friday in Abuja, the meeting chaired by Akume had in attendance; Alhaji Sabo Nanono, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Alhaji Suleiman Adamu, Minister of Water Resources.

Others were: Otunba Richard Adebayo, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Mamood Abubakar, Minister of Environment and Dr Kayode Fayemi, Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman of Nigerian Governors` Forum.

According to the communiqué, discussions were made on some key thematic areas where synergy was required across the relevant ministries to achieve the desired objectives.

It was resolved that collaboration among the MDAs was a much needed action towards fulfiling Mr President`s vision.

While commending Akume for the initiative to create the framework of cooperation among the MDAs, the ministers agreed to be active in playing their own roles to achieve their mandates in addressing the vision.

“There`s the need for stakeholders’ engagements, especially states and local governments and for a technical committee of experts to be set up to include professionals from the line ministries,” the communiqué announced.

The team also agreed to expand the forum to accommodate other relevant ministries, the Organised Private Sector and Civil Society Organisations; and to create implementation strategy and a platform for measuring, monitoring, and evaluation of the inter-ministerial forum.

In addition to the resolutions, the forum placed emphasis on harnessing dams across the country to increase agricultural production and power generation for empowerment and poverty alleviation.

They also resolved to ensure the deployment of climate change adaptation technologies, agricultural initiative, harnessing of sundry opportunities for establishment of cottage industries cutting across ministries of agriculture, environment, power, water resources along economic corridors in the country to alleviate poverty.