Nigeria needs pro-poor policies, say stakeholders

STAKEHOLDERS have tasked the government to embark on meaningful developmental policies that are supportive of the poor, who constitute the greater proportion of the country’s population.

The stakeholders, who lamented the level of development in the country made this appeal following the discovery that the country grows profitably when the government focuses on the policies that encourage the survival of the poor.

According to Dr. Otive Igbuzor of African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LDC), Abuja, who spoke in Lagos during the 2011 T.Y Danjuma Foundation (TYDF)’s capacity building training, titled: “Sustaining NGOs For Effective Service Delivery,” Nigeria has enormous human and natural resources but has been battling with policies that support the rich alone.

Speaking on the developmental challenges in Nigeria and the role of NGOs, Igbuzor noted that over the years, the development process in the country had been stagnated.

“Other countries at the same level of economic development with Nigeria in the last three decades have left Nigeria behind.

“Malaysia is one of these countries that have overtaken Nigeria.  Malaysia has a population of about 25 million people, per capita income of about $12,800; manufacturing accounts for 31.7 per cent and can no longer be compared with Nigeria per capita of $1,105; manufacturing accounts for 4.18 per cent”, he said.

The challenges of development in Nigeria, among other things, he noted, included leadership, followership, corruption, governance and globalization.

“To overcome these challenges Nigeria requires all stakeholders to perform their roles”, he said.

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By Chijioke Iremeka

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