LET THE POOR BREATHE

LET THE POOR BREATHE - MAKING SENSE OUT OF #8000.00 CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFER (CCT)

The greatest threat to human dignity is poverty, and it partly accounted for the rise of social vices in our world. According to the World Bank, about 9.2% of the world, or 719 million people, live in extreme poverty, on less than $2.15 a day. In Nigeria,  a 2022 report says that an estimated population of 88.4 million people in Nigeria lived in extreme poverty. The number of men living on less than 1.90 U.S. dollars a day in the country reached around 44.7 million, while the count was at 43.7 million for women. 

The implications of this is that anyone who cannot afford #1700.00 either for food, water, electricity, clothes, shelter or other necessity of life falls within the category of extreme poor people in the world. The question that needs to be raised and answered are: are there people who cannot afford #1700.00 currently in Nigeria of today? If yes, where do they live? Do we have sufficient data to back up the fact that about 90 million Nigerians out of 200 million plus live in abject poverty? 

Well data, they say, don't lie. There are people who are so poor that #500.00 is a big deal to them. Some years ago, a lady begged my friend passionately for #200.00 to start a pure water business. While corporate beggers do not allow us to differentiate the real beggers these days in the cities, the fact is that occasionally when you meet the real ones and you give them as small as #200.00, they offer prayers profusely. In the industry I've found myself, I've seen people living their jobs for another jobs for as low as two thousand naira difference. 

In a nutshell, while personally I'm not a fan of CCT, the fact is that what some people need is such poverty alleviation initiatives. It either helps them to meet their present material needs or help them to create wealth. Yes, you heard me. As small as #8000.00 seems, a pure water business can be started with it. Equally, a groundnut business can be started with it. A roasted corn business equally can be started with it. An old woman started a goat rearing business with #5000.00 CCT given by the then Gov Kayode Fayemi. Thus, to the aged and window in villages and communities, #8000.00 is a big deal especially when they lack loved ones who can look after them. 

This I know from experience. For instance, with a budget of ten thousand naira, many widows who were given packages through the Foundation I represent prayed ceaselessly and could not hold back their joy for the gifts. Just imagine such people be given #8000.00 continuously for six months. 

Having said this, is there a better way to have spent the #500 million dollars? I think so. The money can be invested to boost agriculture production. The money can be used to finance small scale farm settlements such as pottery farms, cassava processing firms in villages, among others. Nonetheless, giving the money to the poor will also help them to breath small, if transparently and efficiently distributed. This is what happened in developed world where social welfare scheme is the in-thing. 

ONE MORE THING: Of BENJAMIN MENDY AND RAPE FALSE ACCUSATIONS

Gone are the days when it was a man's world, at present, it is a woman's world. In this age of feminism, the easiest way to be heard is to be a woman, the society would have crucified you before they know it is all false alarms. Imagine eight people lying that they were rape by a single man at different times though, and he having to spend some years in prison based on false accusations. The other day, a judge in Lagos sent a man to life imprisonment for raping his own wife. It is alright.

My advice for men is to be careful out there because, even your own 'tribe' will deny you when you are alleged to have raped lady. Like the Bible says: run from every appearance of Eve (or is it evil)?

Sanmi Adekola is a Social Commentator and Entrepreneur.