One unifying thread that binds together a significant percentage of Nigerians in the twenty first century is poverty.
After
more than half a century that Nigeria became a modern politically
independent entity, purportedly free from the clutches of foreign
dominance and control, Nigerians are notoriously divided along many
primordial lines such as ethnic nationality, religious and cultural
affiliations but in poverty a majority of Nigerians have coalesced.
An
observer need not go too far to decipher the multi-dimensional fault
lines under which several implosive and explosive tensions have flared
up over the years which have invariably led to the gruesome killings of
several thousands of people in Nigeria.
But in poverty, over half the populations of Nigeria of divergent affiliations have found solidarity and unity as one people.
By
some scientific estimates, close to seventy percent of Nigerians are
poor. The distribution of the poor among the populations of Nigeria in
the diverse geo-political entity is almost proportional if not equal in
number but may be not the same in severity.
In
the North for instance, there are over ten million children of school
age that are out of school and are roaming the streets begging for alms.
In the South, several children are abandoned in the streets as child
witches in Akwa Ibom state and in Anambra state many boys of school age
are out of school and are learning trades of different types under the
severest economic adversity.
Commenting
on the dimension of poverty, the Nigeria’s National Bureau of
Statistics in a document on the Nigeria poverty profile of 2010 stated
that; “The scourge of poverty goes beyond mere measurement of a
household’s expenditure or welfare. Poverty has many dimensions and may
include inadequate access to government utilities and services,
environmental issues, poor infrastructure, illiteracy and ignorance,
poor health, insecurity, social and political exclusion”.
Other
devastating impacts of urban poverty include poor access to primary
healthcare, growth of unsanitary urban slums and extremely poor school
enrolment.
The
National Bureau of Statistics of Nigeria in the recently released
poverty profile of the year 2010 estimates that out of a total
population of a little above 140 million people, more than 89, 096,000
(over eighty nine million) Nigerians are living in absolute poverty
which is like 60.2 percent of the entire population. By all intents and
purposes, this figure is very frightening.
The
unfortunate fact is that poverty has snowballed into a monumental
national calamity with only three years to the landmark year of 2015
when the rest of the civilized world would beat their chests in
jubilation that they indeed may have achieved significant percentage of
the eight [8] millennium Development Goals which the member nations of
the United Nations set for themselves.
The
eight goals also known as international development goals was adopted
by World leaders following the millennium summit in 2000 and these
include eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, Reduction of child
mortality and improvement of maternal health.
Another
salient aspect of the eight goals is the resolve to ensure
environmental sustainability. Nigeria is yet to achieve any of these
noble goals.
The
Nigerian government in the last eight years is reported to have spent
several billions through the Presidential Millennium Development Goals’
office but the poor populations of Nigeria who ought to be the
beneficiaries have rather experienced unprecedented excruciating
poverty.
Nigeria’s
permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry of water Resources
Ambassador Godknows Igali was quoted by the media to have expressed
doubt over Nigeria’s ability to achieve the Millennium Development Goal
in the water sector by 2015.
Again,
various states and the Federal Government have taken drastic steps to
implement certain anti-poor policies such as large scale demolition of
houses of the poor considered as shanties and illegal structures without
commensurate and efficient compensation and relocation. In Lagos and
River States and even in the Federal Capital Territory, the urban poor
populations are currently facing threats of forceful evictions and
demolition of their houses by the respective states’ and the federal
ministry of federal Capital Territory. This bad policy will rather than
make Nigeria achieve the first of the eight goals in the millennium
Development milestones would instead create more poverty of the extreme
type for millions of Nigerians who in the constitution are said to be
the owners of the sovereignty of Nigeria [section 14(2)(a)]. This
relevant
section of the grund-norm [Constitution] stated that; “Sovereignty
belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this
constitution derives all its powers and authority”.
The
Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who is the number
three in the federal structure of governance in Nigeria, Senator David
Mark has also condemned as despicable, policies that would create more
poverty for the populace but the National Assembly is known to have
churned out several anti-poor legislations like the recently passed
property tax in Abuja which will take effect soon. This is a case of
kettle calling pot black.
In
a speech he delivered at a recent Senate press corps’ retreat in
Umuahia, Abia state, Senate President David Mark stated thus; “… A
nation that is full of poor, hungry and ignorant people cannot claim to
be on the path of good governance…”
Even
as various states and the Federal Government continue to enforce this
draconian anti-poor policy of mass and forceful eviction and demolition
of houses of the poor, it has emerged that the Federal Government has
not implemented up to fifty percent of the Current Appropriation Act of
2012 which is an extant law passed by the National Assembly.
The
most disturbing consequence of the failure of government to implement
the budget is that the state of salient economic and social
infrastructure like urban and rural road and health infrastructure would
collapse and the rate of poverty would skyrocket. The poor people in
Mpape, Abuja whose houses are about to be demolished have run to the
Abuja High Court and the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria to
seek redress. The poor in Makoko, in Lagos state and Waterfronts, Port
Harcourt in River state have approached their respective state
Governments for remedy all to no avail.
Already,
the chairman of the Governing council of the Nigerian Human Rights
Commission Dr. Chidi Odinkalu has asked the states and the federal
Government to stop forthwith the demolition of the Houses of the poor.
Hear
him: “At a time when the country confronts difficult security
challenges, the demolition of human settlements has a potential to
exacerbate security problems in the country”.
Conversely,
in its General Comment No. 7 adopted in 1997, the United Nations
Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights condemns any forceful
eviction and demolition of poor peoples’ settlements.
The
United Nations stated thus; “Owing to the interrelationship and
interdependency which exist among all human rights, forced evictions
frequently violate other human rights. Thus, while manifestly breaching
the rights enshrined in the Covenant, the practice of forced evictions
may also result in violations of civil and political rights, such as the
right to life, the right to security of the person, the right to
non-interference with privacy, family and home and the right to the
peaceful enjoyment of possessions”.
Government
is therefore advised in the interest of public good to stop any
forceful eviction and demolition of poor peoples’ houses without proper
actionable plan for resettlement and compensation. The National Assembly
must also ensure that in the ongoing constitutional amendment process,
chapters two and four of the constitution must be harmonized and made
clearly enforceable.
* Emmanuel Onwubiko, Head, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS' ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA, blogs at www.huriwa.blogspot.com.
2/8/2012
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