Sani seeks prayer for Humanitarian Minister on 133m poverty rescue

Senator Shehu Sani is seeking prayer for the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, on her promise to lift 133 million Nigerians out of poverty in the Tinubu administration.

Shehu Sani, in a statement, noted that the promise to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty is not not knew, adding that it was made in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Victims of poverty in Nigeria

According to Shehu Sani,
Senator Shehu Sani
@ShehuSani

“The Lady Minister, Betta, who wants to lift 133 million Nigerians out of poverty, needs prayers.
“We have been through this ‘lifting’ promises under Buhari.”

The poverty rate in Nigeria hovers around 76 million at the time Buhari became President. The poverty rate increased to over 13o million at the time former President Buhari was leaving office.

Sani may not be having reasons to believe the Minister and the government as same promises were made in the past without fulfillment.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its “Nigeria Multidimensional Poverty Index’’ in November 2022, revealed that over 133 million Nigerians are living in poverty. According to the NBS, “Poverty levels across states vary significantly, with the incidence of multidimensional poverty ranging from a low of 27 per cent in Ondo to a high of 91 per cent in Sokoto.”

Tragedy of poverty in Nigeria

The NBS maintained that the figure represents 63 per cent of Nigeria’s population.

The report indicated that over half of the population who are poor cook with dung, wood or charcoal, rather than cleaner energy.

The NBS noted that high deprivations are also apparent in sanitation, time to healthcare, food insecurity, and housing.

The report further indicated that multidimensional poverty is higher in rural areas, where 72 per cent of people are poor, compared to 42 per cent of people in urban areas.

The report, the first poverty index survey published by the Bureau since 2010, indicated that 65 per cent of the poor (86 million people) live in the North, while 35 per cent (nearly 47 million) live in the South.