FEC okays poverty reduction policy

By Egena Sunday Ode

Worried by the worsening poverty level in the country, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday exhaustively debated the issue and approved a new policy to tackle the menace.

Special Adviser (Media & Publicity) to the President, Femi Adesina, told newsmen after the weekly FEC meeting that the council took note of the worrying poverty situation, adding that the Federal Government was not oblivious of the high poverty level in the country but was doing something about it.

He said it was in that line that the FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, approved the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy policy (NPRGS).

Adesina said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is to the chair Steering Committee of the new policy to provide overall guidance for implementation.

He said council also approved the strategy’s  incorporation  into the medium term national  development plan 2021-2025 and agenda 2050 and had directed the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami to prepare a bill for submission to National Assembly to make the implementation of  the strategy sustainable.

He said: “The Presidential Economic Advisory Council had some weeks back submitted the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy to the Federal Executive Council  and it was widely debated today, and eventually passed as a conclusion.

“And these are some of the things, the federal executive council noted the worsening poverty situation in the country and the efforts of the federal government to redress that situation. It’s not as if government is not aware that there is poverty in the land but things are been done.

One of it is this National Poverty Reduction with Growth strategy that was presented today.

“The Council also noted that the President pledged to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years. Actually, by June 12 this year, that promise will be two years old. It was noted that it is work in progress, and it is work that will get done.

“A national steering committee, chaired by the Vice President is to provide overall guidance for the implementation of this strategy in these two volumes. The Council approved the implementation of the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy.

“It approved the incorporation of the strategy into the medium term national development plan 2021 to 2025 and agenda 2050 and directed the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to prepare a bill for submission to the National Assembly to make the implementation of the national Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy sustainable. So that’s one of the major major highlights of the meeting today. National poverty reduction with growth strategy.”