Yakubu Dogara, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, has bemoaned Nigeria’s extreme poverty and warned that it heralds peril for the nation’s democracy.
With almost 87 million Nigerians living in extreme poverty, the country has surpassed India to become the global centre of poverty.
The former Speaker called on President Bola Tinubu, state governors, and other leaders to address the sense of despair and hopelessness that Nigerians are experiencing as a result of the nation’s deepening poverty.
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On Saturday, he made this statement during a speech at Achievers University in Owo, Ondo State, in honour of the school’s 13th Convocation and 16th Anniversary of Foundation.
The university’s chancellor, Dogara, pointed out that the degree of vote-buying and the use of cash to influence electoral and security authorities during the most recent elections demonstrated the threat poverty posed to democracy.
“I have stated previously that the biggest danger to our democracy is poverty,” he remarked.
“Those who had doubts about me have witnessed this threat in action, as it takes the form of vote buying and the bribery of election and security officials.”
“Because poverty instills a sense of hopelessness and helplessness in its victims, the impoverished have always been and will continue to be easy targets for tyrants and demagogues who, throughout history, have found it easy to organise in order to undermine democratic institutions.”
The former Speaker issued a challenge to Tinubu, state governors, and other leaders to assume responsibility for their offices and work towards ending poverty, beginning with the two evils that he referred to as poverty’s bedfellows: unemployment and underemployment.
He contended that if we never reach a place where we can rationally discuss economic fairness, it won’t be because it’s unachievable but rather because we don’t have the correct leadership.
“Now that so many things in Nigeria have been discussed to be ended, it is time to discuss generating riches and putting an end to poverty.
Permit me to add, too: at this point, all elected politicians, including the president, who chose to run for office rather than against someone, should be concerned since almost every Nigerian family is struggling and our democracy is extremely unstable.
”The number of Nigerians that go hungry every night is unknown. Even if Tinubu’s administration is still in its early stages and no sane person would blame our current depreciating rot on it, the truth is that he was aware of the problem and had pledged to find remedies prior to taking office.
“What would be the defining characteristic of his presidency if he gives in to the need to keep assigning blame to others instead of focusing on the solutions he offered? Previous presidents were experts at doing just that—outsourcing the blame and never accepting accountability.”
“My uninvited advice to Mr. President is to take on these challenges head-on and right away, as nothing can be overcome until it is taken on.”
