The world over, it is the duty of government to initiate policies and programmes aimed at alleviating the plight of the poor and vulnerable people in the society. In a Federation like Nigeria, the welfare of the people should be better addressed by the subnational governments at local and state levels which are very much closer to the people and always feel their pulse on the existential challenges.
The security and overall welfare of the governed is the primary responsibility of government and in some instances , donor agencies synergize with government to meet the yearnings and aspirations of underprivileged people to give them a sense of belonging and opportunity to attain their full potential and believe contribute towards building a better society.
To achieve the desired result, there should systematic approach in generating comprehensive data of the poor and vulnerable people in various States and Local Government Areas for planning and implementation of policies and programmes designed for them.
Trial and error approach in socioeconomic programmes should be avoid because it might open loopholes for corruption by government officials who are charged with the responsibility to carry out the programmes.
view of past failures of approaches to poverty alleviation of the underprivileged people, credible data will enable governments at the subnational level to meticulously design functional Social Register for the poor and underprivileged people in every part of the country so that welfare packages for the needy will really get to the people targeted especially in the rural areas where poverty and penury are mostly observed.
The essence of using the subnational governments is in line with the federal system of government principles and most effective approach to achieve the desired goals.
Cash transfer might not be a bad idea in the short run but the system of reducing abject poverty through agriculture introduced by Governor Chukwuma Soludo ,where high yielding palm and coconut seeds have been distributed to the people in communities, is veritable means in the long to empower rural dwellers to become self reliant and fight the scourge of poverty and hunger.
Similarly, the “One Youth 2-Skill acquisition programme which trains graduates and provide them with start-up capital will enable them develop their talents, create wealth and employment opportunities.
That is why Anambra state government should be commended for sustaining the funding of small scale enterprises through the Anambra State Business Agency, ASBA, which will further expand scope of empowerment to tackle poverty.
