By Domingo Ani
As the 2023 general election approaches, the International Organization for Food, Housing and Empowerment (IOFSE) has called on those who will emerge as leaders at all levels to address the issues of poverty and Other forms of deprivation in Nigeria.
IOFSE Executive Director, Ambassador Declan Okwudiri Oguine, gave the advice in Ideato, Imo State, when speaking about the upcoming elections starting on February 25, 2023.
It should be recalled that the National Statistics Office in November 2022 revealed that 133 million Nigerians, representing 63 percent of the population, are multidimensionally poor.
The NBS said the large number of poor people in the country was due to lack of access to good health and education, low living standards, unemployment and insecurity.
According to the World Bank, Nigeria’s poverty exceeds the global projection, making it the poverty capital of the world.
Providing more information on the level of poverty in Nigeria and the interventions of the global organization, Chief Oguine said that they have no interest in partisan politics, but stressed that IOFSE is purely concerned with the unnecessary horrible situation Nigerians are facing. He added that with the enormous human and material resources available in the county, Nigerians have no reason to wallow in poverty and acute suffering as has been the case over the years.
He pointed out that none of the administrations that had governed Nigeria in the past had been able to find a lasting solution to the malaise of poverty, unemployment, lack of housing and quality education, among others.
The IOFSE chief, however, acknowledged that there have been laudable attempts by some ministries and agencies in the past and present to address the issues, but their efforts have not yielded the expected results.
He posited that despite the campaign promises of presidential candidates, governors and legislators at all levels, incoming leaders must take the battle to confront poverty and empower the people as the front line.
“What we believe at IOFSE is that ending poverty, which means designing and deploying policies that empower people to be self-sufficient and employ others, must be the number one concern of the incoming administration at all levels.
“This must be seen as an emergency because almost every other aspect of governance is linked to poverty and deprivation. The deprivation and the pressure that comes with it is one of the main causes of insecurity and crime,” he stated.
The Executive Director of IOFSE, who pointed out that the program coincided with the organization’s annual distribution of palliatives and empowerment, said that the distribution of food, shelter materials and money for the empowerment of people and communities has become unavoidable, as a way intervention to alleviate the palpable. sufferings that are evident everywhere.
“On Christmas alone, we distributed 650 bags of rice, cooking materials, and cash for empowerment in the Ideato community alone. We did the same in other parts of Imo state. We have sent many students to top-tier universities in Nigeria and abroad, especially in science and technology, and have built technical colleges to equip young people with the necessary skills to face the future,” he said.
He also urged people to go get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) to be able to vote for the candidates of their choice.
