With Nigeria’s population oscillating around 200 million and above, the country still battles with rising inflation and poverty as a consequence.
In response to this increasing rate, the federal government has blamed the state governments for failure to contribute their quarter of development responsibilities to the grassroots where the major production activities take place.
The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba, has said about 72% of the poverty in Nigeria is found in the rural areas which had been abandoned by the state governance.
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While the worsening poverty may have reshaped the landscape of governance social relations and inflicted deadly blue on national security, the federal government says the state governor should have their priorities right to lift many Nigerians out of this deadly pit.
Looking at the breakdown of the money some of the state governors have received so far in the past seven years, 13% derivation 978,000,000,000,000, Paris Club refund of $2.67 billion, ecological fund, 204 billion naira, covid intervention 50 billion naira, federal roads repair, 648 billion naira, yet the federal government is pointing accusing fingers at the state governors.
“If the center does not hold, others would fall. If anybody is to be blamed for the poverty rate in local governments, in rural areas, it is the federal government and not the state governments”, Public Affairs Analyst, Muyiwa Ogunlaja said on TVCBreakfast with Veronica Dan-Ikpoyi and Sam Omatseye.
He noted that the the governments are wrong in the misappropriation of funds but the federal Government has the power to call them to order.
This according to him was not done.
“Why is it just coming now? If not politically motivated, why should we wait until we are being pushed to the wall, knowing fully well that poverty means hunger and hunger means poverty.
“When you’re hungry, there is nothing you cannot do. You allow Nigerians to be in that state for eight years to come out to send us this. Why should that be condoned?
Mr Ogunlaaja noted that until democracy is redefined in Nigeria, we will keep having these problems.
“Truthfully speaking, Nigeria is in trouble. The country currently has about 130,000 million persons living in poverty.
“The UN came up with development goals, whose goals is the elimination of extreme property. A lot of money has been dedicated, devoted for that cause but how many Nigerians can afford three square meals a day.
“Poverty does not mean money alone, not having access good health, education, employment and access to guaranteed future.
