Nigerian govt blames state governors for rising poverty, food inflation

The Federal Government on Wednesday blamed the state governors for the biting poverty in the country.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently revealed that 63 percent of Nigerians are living in poverty.

The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba, who addressed State House correspondents shortly after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, accused governors of impoverishing rural dwellers by citing infrastructural projects in the cities.

He, therefore, charged them to channel the resources of the states to the provision of nutrition and food for the people.

The minister said: “The governors are basically functioning in their state capitals. And a democracy that we preach about is delivering the greatest goods to the greatest number of people. And from our demography, it shows that the greatest number of our people live in rural areas, but the governors are not working in the rural areas.

“Right now 70 percent of our people live in rural areas. They produce 90 percent of what we eat. And unfortunately, 60 percent of what they produce is lost due to post-harvest loss and it does not get to the market.

READ ALSO: Food most expensive in Kwara, Kogi, as inflation hits 17-year high

“I think from the Federal Government’s side we are doing our best. But we need to say that rather than governors continuing to compete to take loans to build airports that are not necessary, where they have other airports so close to them, or governors now competing to build flyovers all over the place, we appeal that they should concentrate on building rural roads so that the farmer can at least get their products to the market.

“When we’re talking about food prices, like I mentioned right now is driving inflation, prices of food at the farm gates are low. But when you now take it to the urban areas, you find out that the prices are high due to supply chain disruptions or lack of infrastructure to take them there.

“The state governors to channel their resources into providing food, nutrition, housing, and clothing for our people before we begin to think of how to go to the moon and begin to build flyovers and airports in the state capital.”

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