THE Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, used the auspicious occasion of the 100th   anniversary celebration of the establishment of Union Bank to lament the embarrassing level of poverty in the North and some other parts of the country. The North, particularly the North-East and North-West, has been associated with   poverty for far too long. Poverty, in this case, is glaring in the lack of access to the basic things of life, such as a good and functional education, vocational skills, healthcare, food, clean water, good roads and housing. Unfortunately, the extremely harsh weather and other environmental conditions of some of the Northern states make living a more difficult proposition for the poor.

Poverty in Nigeria is, however, not limited to Northern Nigeria. Statistics show that it has been on the rise in many other parts of the country on account of the contraction of the economy for five consecutive quarters, before the recent official exit from recession in the last quarter. This is why the nation is indebted to Emir Sanusi and other patriotic Nigerians who regularly shelve the toga of their privileged positions to talk about their concerns for the masses in their region, and the country at large.

The Emir’s latest advocacy is perfectly in his character, as he has made the plight   of poor Nigerians one of his major concerns. We must, therefore, see his comments on this vexed subject as a timely challenge to the government, the elites, non-governmental organisations and our wealthy citizens, to do everything within their power to improve the lot of the poor among us.

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This task is definitely not a piece of cake. It will require a radical change of mindset, careful and detailed planning, and a strong political will to do things differently. Governments, especially in the most affected parts of the North, must significantly raise their budgets for education, health and agriculture. Provision of an enabling environment for good education, adequate health services and sufficient food will go a long way in reducing poverty in the country. All children of school age must be enrolled in schools and given qualitative and very functional education. The latter point is very important. Given our long history of education seemingly for its sake alone, and seeing the limits that this placed on the products of our educational system, accent must now be placed on functional, practical and problem-solving education.

The amount of resources that would be required to bring this about is clearly outside the purview of government. But, the three levels of government must lead the way. All relevant people like Emir Sanusi II and the traditional institutions, foreign partners and donor agencies must join in the war to significantly reduce poverty in the North and other seriously affected areas of the country.

The generality of the people, too, must be ready for a change. Holding on to age- long traditions and practices, such as the disdain for western education and the embracement of the almajiri and feudal systems which do not offer hope for a better life for the poor, will not be helpful to the battle against poverty. No matter how the government and change agents try, poor Nigerians must embrace the opportunity of a better life that the government’s improved investments in education, health and agriculture can offer them. This will go a long way in moving them out of abject poverty and giving them a new lease of life.