UNDP POVERTY RANKING: Sokoto Govt Faults Previous Administration, Lists Multi-Billion Naira Social Protection, Agric Interventions

UNDP POVERTY RANKING: Sokoto Govt Faults Previous Administration, Lists Multi-Billion Naira Social Protection, Agric Interventions

From Bashir Rabe Mani in Sokoto

The Sokoto State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Development, Dr. Bashir Muhammad Achida, has dismissed claims that poverty has worsened under the present administration in Sokoto State, saying global economic challenges are responsible for rising poverty worldwide, while the State Government has rolled out unprecedented social protection and economic empowerment programmes.

Dr. Achida spoke to newsmen on Tuesday in Sokoto in response to a statement by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Governorship Candidate in Sokoto State, Hon. Manir Muhammad Dan’Iya, who raised alarm over a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report, highlighted by BBC Hausa, which ranked Sokoto third among Nigerian states most affected by multidimensional poverty, citing deprivations in education, clean drinking water, insecurity, housing, electricity and sanitation.

Dan’Iya, in a statement signed by his Media Aide, Aminu Abdullahi, described the ranking as alarming and challenged the APC-led administration to account for Federation Account revenues and other resources accruing to the state and its 23 local governments. He also referenced the Multidimensional Poverty Index released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) which placed Sokoto first with about 90.5 per cent of its population affected, a report the state government had earlier debunked. Dan’Iya argued that beautifying roundabouts and erecting barriers cannot replace investments that directly improve lives.

Responding, Dr. Achida said with due respect to the former Deputy Governor, Sokoto State was run by his administration for eight years, during which all legally established agencies for data collection and analysis ranked Sokoto as the poorest state in the country.

According to him, for eight years Sokoto was number one as the poorest state and if today the state is ranked differently, it is due to the efforts of the present government. He added that no legally established body has released any recent verifiable data showing Sokoto is currently the poorest.

He argued that globally, economies are facing unprecedented challenges, high cost of living and meltdown, but due to right-thinking policies by the APC government at the federal level, World Bank projections for Nigeria’s economic outlook are positive and will trickle down to improve living standards and drastically reduce poverty growth.

The Commissioner said no realistic data collected today would show Sokoto as poorest, because no state has done so much in social protection as Sokoto State under Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto.

He said through the NG-CARES programme, the State has supported businesses via FOSMEDAN in a scale never seen since the advent of the administration, including transfer payments and Conditional Cash Transfer to vulnerable households which were neglected by the previous administration.

The State Government also procured thousands and thousands bags of foodstuff which were shared free to citizens, and later at subsidised rates.

He explained that it is not in the policy of the present administration to only support consumption, noting that when you give free food, you support consumption but when you support agriculture, you support supply and enhance productive capacity. He noted that Sokoto people are predominantly farmers and this is the only government in the country, as far as he can recollect, that has consistently given out fertiliser worth billions of Naira free to farmers, alongside free insecticides and pesticides, to reduce cost of production and enhance productivity.

Dr. Achida said an unprecedented number of women have been economically empowered and trained through the Ministry of Women Affairs and the Office of the First Lady, while a full Ministry was established solely for skill acquisition to empower youths.

He said through the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Agency for IDPs and Resident Communities, government is providing support to Internally Displaced Persons, Imams, Muazzins, religious leaders and other vulnerable individuals who now receive salaries and allowances, a support that was stopped before.

Dr. Achida defended the administration’s infrastructure drive, saying government expenditure has multiplier effect. He said if a roundabout is to be reconstructed, you don’t look at only the beauty but how many people are employed including the sand supplier, block seller, cement seller, filling station where tippers buy diesel, bricklayers, paint makers and iron sellers. He said government cannot take money to these individuals directly, but indirectly by investing in projects, government is sending money to these individuals.

He said the beauty and attractiveness of Sokoto now draws visitors, noting that delegates from Malaysia and Indonesia who attended a Zakat programme recently commended the transformation of the town, and that flights to Sokoto are now fully booked days ahead, indicating economic vibrancy. According to him, if there are no activities ongoing in Sokoto, there would not be such rush, which means there are real economic activities.

He said massive investments have also been made in education, health and other social amenities across local governments including Gada, Goronyo, Gwadabawa and others, and assured that in three years, the transformation has been enormous, though government has not yet reached where it intends to be.

Dr. Achida stressed that the present administration will continue to prioritise programmes that expand economic opportunities, support entrepreneurship and improve essential public services, to ensure future poverty data reflects the progress on ground.