PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, says no past government in the country has approached poverty alleviation like his administration is currently doing.
“No Nigerian Government in the past has methodically and seriously approached poverty-alleviation like we have done,” the Nigerian president said Thursday in a nationwide broadcast made after protest by Nigerian youths to demand an end to police brutality degenerated to violence across the country.
He added that his administration has shown a commitment to the welfare of its citizen despite reduced revenue due to coronavirus.
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Stating what his administration has done for the Nigerian youths, Buhari said ‘Government has put in place measures and initiatives principally targeted at youths, women and the most vulnerable groups in our society.”
“These included our broad plan to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years; the creation of N75 billion National Youth Investment Fund to provide opportunities for the youths, and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Survival Fund, through which government is paying 3-months salaries of the staff of 100,000 micro, small- and medium- enterprises, paying for the registration of 250,000 businesses at the Corporate Affairs Commission and giving a grant of N30,000 to 100,000 artisans, guaranteeing a market for the products of traders.
While calling for an end to the protests, the President urged the protesters to take advantage of the initiatives of his administration and not let themselves be used.
“I would like to appeal to protesters to note and take advantage of the various well-thought-out initiatives of this administration designed to make their lives better and more meaningful, and resist the temptation of being used by some subversive elements to cause chaos with the aim of truncating our nascent democracy,” he said.
The President noted that it would amount to undermining national security and the law and order situation if the youths choose to ignore the government’s initiatives.
Under no circumstances will this be tolerated, he said.
“I, therefore, call on our youths to discontinue the street protests and constructively engage the government in finding solutions. Your voice has been heard loud and clear and we are responding.”
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94