As the global community commemorates this year’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, ActionAid Nigeria, on Friday, demanded more concrete actions to alleviate the plight of 133 million people reportedly living in multidimensional poverty.
This was even as the humanitarian organisation also championed the official launch of a revolutionary group, tagged MOTION – Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria, in Abuja and other cities across the country.
The group, after unveiling the movement, also marched through the streets of Abuja in a peaceful protest, calling for the Government’s attention to the excruciating poverty and hunger prevalent in the country.
Hauwa Mustapha, MOTiON Convener, said that Nigerians deserve a better life from the government, hence the need to put people at various positions of leadership on their toes to be accountable and responsive.
Mustapha explained that MOTiON is “ a people-driven movement dedicated to protecting democracy and promoting the interests of Nigerian citizens”.
Also speaking, the Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu, noted that unveiling the revolutionary movement to demand better governance and improved welfare packages for Nigerians was a constitutional right.
Mamedu explained that seeing the figures that represent the suffering Nigerians and the reality of the situation across the length and breadth of the Federation was enough reason to swing into positive actions by all stakeholders.
According to him, the Nigerian government can do better than what it is currently doing in the fight against hunger and poverty. He urged governments at all levels to implement policies that are people-oriented.
Mamedu said, “ I am pleased to be part of this global event today, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, with the theme: ending social institutional maltreatment by ensuring respect and effective support for families” On the one hand also on the other hand is the official unveiling of the MOT!ON logo to signify the official birth of the Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria.
“ Eradicating poverty is dear to our heart in ActionAid Nigeria, one of the reasons our 10-year strategy is heavy on lifting 5 million people out of poverty by 2035. However, for us to actualise this tall dream, the environment must be provided through well-thought-out programmes and policies by the Government of Nigeria, most importantly, the sub-National governments.
“ In 2022, the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that 133million Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty, and 72% of these people live in rural areas. While we applaud the efforts of the Supreme Court judgement in 2023 on Local Government Autonomy, we believe poverty alleviation efforts by the Federal Government would not translate to reality with the people in the rural areas in Nigeria without the deliberate and collective efforts of the sub-National Government”.
