*Approves N250bn economic zones

By Chesa Chesa

The Federal Government on Wednesday dismissed the Brookings Report on Nigeria as the new global headquarters of poverty as it now has the highest number of poor persons in the world.

Findings by the Brookings Institution, a non-profit public policy organisation based in Washington DC, America, published a week ago, indicated that Nigeria has overtaken India as the country with the largest number of extreme poor in early 2018.

“At the end of May 2018, our trajectories suggest that Nigeria had about 87 million people in extreme poverty compared with India’s 73 million. What is more, extreme poverty in Nigeria is growing by six people every minute, while poverty in India continues to fall”, it stated.

But responding to questions from State House correspondents on this, the Minister of Trade and Investments, Mr. Okechukwu Enelamah, argued that the indices used for the report may have been compiled when Nigeria was in recession

He advised Nigerians not to be overly worried about the report because the current administration’s urgent infrastructure programmes and enabling environment for businesses will make poverty in the country drastically reduce.

His words: “We need to understand when we get these reports that there are reports that are lagging in indicators which means, people are reporting on history.

“So, when you get reports from Brooking Institutes or all sorts of people, you need to look at the context. Somebody may have written a report when we were in recession. Remember that if you are in a recession, what it means is that even though, your population is growing, people don’t stop procreating, which means that in theory depending on how they run those numbers, you will be going the other way.

“What I can tell you, will certainty based on one’s background in business and economics, is that if we complete the things on infrastructure and you implement these reports we are doing, that is what I mean by a leading indicator, poverty will go down. There is no magic to it,” he said.

The Minister also disclosed that Nigeria was not in a hurry to sign the Continental Free Trade Agreement, as it was important for government to adequately deliberate on the deal before President Buhari gives the direction to go next.

Enelamah also announced the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval of establishment of world-class export-oriented economic zones in six geo-political zones: Aba, Lagos, Katsina, Calabar and Kano at a total cost of N250 billion, through the Nigerian Special Economic Zones Company Limited, which is a public private partnership.

The Federal Government will own 20 per cent of that company and AFRIEXIM Bank will be a shareholder and other investors like the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority and international investors.

Already, consultants to facilitate these zones are to be paid N3.17 billion for their work, which FEC approved; and will include pre-development work to start and develop Green Field Special Economic Zone in Akwa Ibom, Benue, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Kwara and Sokoto States with a further roll out to other locations in Phase 2.

The 2017 budget had over N40 billion, and another N40 billion has been earmarked for it in 2018 Budget.

The FEC directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure stricter compliance with Presidential Executive Order 1, concerning ease of doing business in Nigeria; and to comply with 72-hour deadline for responding to public inquiries or complaints made through the online portal of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

Other contracts on roads and bridges running into billions of Naira, approved by the FEC at its meeting chaired by Buhari, was announced by Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mustapha Shehuri.

Another approval by FEC was for the installation of insulator house for flight simulator at the premier aviation college in Zaria, Kaduna State.

Meanwhile, JAMB got FEC approval for the acquisition of additional Computer Based Test centre at a cost of N133 million. This follows the inadequacy of existing centres that have resulted in exam malpractices.


http://authorityngr.com/2018/06/27/nigerians-not-poorest-people-in-the-world-fg/

Damage control.

Hehehe. Is it by denial? What other poverty indices do you need when people are paid 500 to demonstrate even when they cannot explain what they are carrying placards for?

How many suicides since Buhari became President?

Who were slaves in the hands of Libyans recently?

Mtcheeeew

Damage control

don myn dem!
belus, evriwia u go.
buhari, hope '19!

Hmmmm.....
This Govt can even say this Country is not Nigeria if/when they wanna

And we the poor people of Nigeria are saying it is True, because we know our Numbers and we have agreed with them that we the people that are suffering in Nigeria are much more than those that are enjoying

Just they lie to themselves.

Shithole government

marwanafrica:
And we the poor people of Nigeria are saying it is True, because we know our Numbers and we have agreed with them that we the people that are suffering in Nigeria are much more than those that are enjoying

Please, dont call yourself poor again. Never! The power of life and death is in the tongue.

The corrupt leader achieved the biggest and fastest growing economy, while the non corrupt leader achieved ressesion and poorest country on earth, wise Nigerians which of the two leaders do you want in 2019?

Oga we are the richest, oya go and sit down.

Buhari, be deceiving yourself.

Instead of countering the research, why not focus on implementing strategies to curb poverty. Nigerian citizens are poor!

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Trust this govt of Cows, they will bring an Igbo slave that can speak English to come and defend their incompetence!

In Aba, Beggers from North central states have chased the less privileged Infront of CKC Catholic Church out of their shops, thousands of them will make you cry.

Farmers chased out of their ancestral homes by herdsmen are now Beggers, even the core North known for acute poverty have now upgraded to chronic poverty, caused by the inconsistent policies of FG led by the uneducated Fulani terrorist herdsmen idiot!

resurgent2019:


Please, dont call yourself poor again. Never! The power of life and death is in the tongue.

ok, tnk u but on a serious Note many people are poor in this country to the extent that they cant earn up to 300 Naira per day, I eat well on the expense of my parents earning, I can not earn up to 200 naira per day, am I not poor as a person as it stand now?

marwanafrica:

ok, tnk u but on a serious Note many people are poor in this country to the extent that they cant earn up to 300 Naira per day, I eat well on the expense of my parents earning, I can not earn up to 200 naira per day, am I not poor as a person as it stand now?

Lol You are very funny and correct. But we still have to prophesy good things into our lives. The politicians know that things are really bad but they have to do their job—which is defend the government.

Let’s see what happens in next year’s elections. It will determine if Nigerians will be condemned to poverty or see an improvement in their economic well being.

With an estimated 89 million and over 50% of its population living in hopeless abject poverty and many more living regular poverty why doesn't the Federal Govt tell us which country has more poorer people so we can verify .... Fake govt fooling themselves

resurgent2019:


Lol You are very funny and correct. But we still have to prophesy good things into our lives. The politicians know that things are really bad but they have to do their job—which is defend the government.

Let’s see what happens in next year’s elections. It will determine if Nigerians will be condemned to poverty or see an improvement in their economic well being.

in terms of to prophesy good things about our lives, I have taken that Correction, tnk u once again, buh for the politicians to be shading falsehood just to protect the Government is totally wrong by me, if they have been accuse of anything, they should check the validity of that Accusation and improve on it, if necessary