Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State has stated that Nigeria’s poverty rating index would have been better if the north was moving in the same pace with the southern part of the country.
Aliyu, who made the remark in a statement when he received the country Director of World Bank – Francoise Marie Melly, yesterday, in his office in Minna, regretted that most of the poverty index were more prevalent in the north than in the south and observed that 63 percent poverty index in any country was very dangerous.
“If Southern Nigeria was to be on its own you would have described it as a medium income country and the north would have been described as low income country afflicted by conflict” Aliyu said.
The Country Director had disclosed that 63 percent of Nigerians were living in abject poverty.
However, Aliyu said, “I think the World Bank wants to be diplomatic not to scare us, if not the poverty rate in Nigeria should be 80 percent and not 63 percent. Even then with the 63 percent, we are already frightened.”
According to him, the country is frightened because, it is already confronted with myriad of challenges; and specifically cited a situation where a policeman would be shot at and his rifle collected to commit another heinous crime.
Aliyu reiterated his administration’s resolve to enter into any partnership capable of bringing development to the state just as he noted that most of the remarkable projects in the state were achieved through partnership.
