How Some Governors Are Reacting To Leading ‘Poorest States’

To be in charge of a domain classed amongst the poorest states is not something of a cheer. This accounts to why, some governors in charge in the concerned states are now reacting.

Some did so immediately each such rating had hit the media waves, but others through ongoing development indicatives.

Here we present some of the reactions in perspectives:

How Governors are reacting to their poorest state status

10 poorest states owe over N1tn, provide govs jumbo package

8th June 2023

The NBS report noted that 65 per cent of poor Nigerians (86 million) were in the North, while 35 per cent (nearly 47 million) were in the South.

The Eagle reports that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released a report on the state of wellbeing of Nigerians, listing viable states amidst the poorest states in the country where citizens are not finding life and living meaningful.

For example, it classed Sokoto, Bayelsa, Gombe, Jigawa, and Plateau as the top five poorest states in 2022.

These states were followed by Yobe, Kebbi, Taraba. Ebonyi, and Zamfara in that orders.

Their ratings in terms of poorest states are as follows:

1. Sokoto led the poorest, with 90.5 per cent
2. Bayelsa with 88.5 per cent poor people,
3. Gombe with 86.2 per cent,
4. Jigawa with 84.3 per cent,
5. Plateau with 84 per cent.
6. Yobe had 83.5 per cent of its population as poor,
7. Kebbi had 82.2 per cent and
8. Taraba had 79.4 per cent.
9. Ebonyi 78
10. Zamfara – 78 per cent

Sokoto Resident Backs NBS With Personal Experience

An X user who simply identified as Special Adviser (REA Sokoto), added pepper to injury last June observing that “Most of the people in #Sokoto are poor, idle, desperate and full of uncertainties on who’s going help!”.

Making reference to the NBS’ statistic of 91% of Sokoto people multidimensionally poor, the contributor said subsidy removal, CFA, Dollar rise and inflation have added too much pressure on the already poor people of Sokoto & have created more new poor people!

What sayest thou, Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru?

“The statistic is grim, you can’t comprehend this except if you live in Sokoto especially if you live in getto areas like me! This can’t continue!

“About a month ago a Youth (thief) broke into my house and carted away stuff. Yesterday I caught another Youth who again broke into the house. He is from my neighborhood, an NCE dropout due to poverty & my chat with him was so touching!

He claims, he hasn’t eaten the whole of that day & there is nothing to steal in most of the houses he broke into that night that’s why he came into mine!”

How Sokoto Government Faulted The Rating

The Eagle reports that the Sokoto State government had immediately faulted rating as being the poorest state in the federation.

This it did through the Permanent Secretary, Sokoto Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Arzika Bodinga, at a one-day Workshop on Dissemination of the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey/ National Immunisation Coverage Survey 2021, on Tuesday, in Sokoto.

“We are pleading for more serious scrutiny on the figure, and rankings, I dare the agency to come up with data of any person found dead on account of hunger along township streets including rural areas across the state”..

But what is Sokoto State Actually Doing?

Last month, the Sokoto State Government was at the International Conference on Biotechnology, holding at NAF International Conference Centre, Abuja.

The Commissioner, Ministry of Innovation and Digital Economy, Honourable Bashar Umar Kwabo led the state Government delegation to the inaugural biennial conference, likening that to something novel.

Also it reiterates its commitment to a multi-faceted approach to eradicating poverty in the state, according to Mrs Sa’adatu Mohammed, the Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu on Poverty Reduction Agency.

She used the opportunity of the symposium commemorating the 2023 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, last October 17 to state so.

As For Bayelsa State

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has said his second term agenda would be hinged on a comprehensive framework of seven pillars with the acronym, A.S.S.U.R.E.D.

READ ALSO: How Gombe State Paid Out Nmillions To Non-Existent Worker

sThese would be used to tackle economic growth, social development, infrastructure advancement, environmental sustainability, cultural preservation and good governance.

For Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, which in addition to an inglorious spot in the poorest states ranking, also holds the tag of the second most corrupt state in Nigeria.

But the governor blamed the previous administration that in spite of a huge bailout fund, budget support and the Paris Club refund the Dankwambo administration was still unable to pay outstanding state pensions and gratuities owed to retired civil servants.

The Governor, giving his remark at an event to mark the 2019 Anti-Corruption Day in Gombe, blamed the poor ranking on the previous state administration.

Governor Yahaya accused the past administration of Ibrahim Dankwambo of plundering the resources of the state by initiating white elephant projects.

READ ALSO: Duoye Diri Wins Bayelsa State Governorship Election

He argued that in spite of a huge bailout fund, budget support and the Paris Club refund the Dankwambo administration was still unable to pay outstanding state pensions and gratuities owed to retired civil servants.

Then, how about the Foundation for investigative journalism’s counter last March that

Muhammadu Yahaya, Gombe State Governor, has approved the spending of N15 billion to construct an ultra-modern governor’s residence.