POVERTY AND THE HIGH RATE OF INSECURITY

In Nigeria there is a malaise of poverty which has resulted in the problem of insecurity faced today. The problem of illiteracy caused by excessive poverty has hampered the development of our country. According to the statistics by the World Health Organisation, the countries in sub- Saharan Africa are mostly hit by this malaise and if these countries do not take major step in arresting this problem it will have a spiral effect that can stunt the development of the sub region particularly Nigeria which is facing the problem of the Boko Haram insurgency and the farmers and herders’ clashes.

The peace, tranquility and survival of a nation is tied to the way the government implements programmes to bring down the level of poverty and in the process reduce the numbers of willing youths and adults used in insurgent activities. Nigeria does not have any business with poverty due to the abundant natural and material resources placed at its disposal by providence. The proponents of this insurgent act used poverty which is a direct ingredient of illiteracy as a basic weapon to blackmail their adherents into submission. A hungry man is an angry man, which explains why most people submit to the proposition of these insurgent masters. The government in particular has a critical and pivotal role to play in reducing to the barest minimum the effects of poverty among its citizens. A well fed nation is a peaceful nation. Our agricultural policies must be reviewed and strengthened to give it the required impetus to serve the purpose of its formulation. Our people need to be educated on their roles in this fight against poverty and insurgency. Insurgency has caused our country dearly both in terms of life lost and material resources. Budgetary allocations meant for the wellbeing of citizens are being appropriated for military hardware as security votes to the detriment of other sectors of the economy like education, health care, agricultural inputs and the growth of infrastructural facilities.

The road to peace and stability of our country depends on what we as a people and our government do to end insecurity through the eradication of poverty. Enough budgetary provision must be made to reduce the rate of poverty as a deliberate policy. Nigeria has arable land, fertile enough to feed her teeming population. We shall only get it right when our governments get the policy framework right and also when the rightness of the policies are achieved by the implementation agencies which must see it as a call to duty to help the government achieve its set objectives. Dr Jummai Ahmadu, Abuja