High poverty rate alarming – NNPP

From Okwe Obi, Abuja

The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has described as alarming and unacceptable the growing rate of poverty in the country.

The party noted that based on recent economic realities, the poverty index had worsened under the Tinubu administration as more people are now passing through harrowing economic conditions that show clear signals of abject poverty.

NNPP’s National Publicity Secretary Ladipo Johnson, in a statement yesterday to mark this year’s  International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, said the government should review its economic policies to address the situation.

Johnson remarked that contrary to the professed ideals of the government’s reform agenda, policies have so far proved otherwise and the future looks bleak.

He criticised the lifestyles and expenditures of government officials and its institutions, which, he said, were unjust and did not reflect the need for inclusion, saying such a situation cannot guarantee peace and stability as it amounted to gross inequality and insensitivity to the plight of the suffering masses.

He said: “In light of the prevailing crunching economic conditions, therefore, it becomes imperative for the government to look inwards and take strategic and workable steps to reset its policies and programmes to arrest the worsening poverty in the country.

“This is important in order to enable the people to believe that truly there’s hope and eschew any recourse to anti-social behaviour that could threaten public peace.

“It is also pertinent that the government and its officials show some sensitivity to the plight of the people by being modest  and accountable while the government’s spending is tailor-made for the needy rather than the excessive extravaganza we’ve seen in recent times.”