By Emenike Vincent Onyembi,
onyembiemenike@yahoo.com.
I have spent countless nights studying the recently released Poverty Headcount Rate 2019 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) which two South-Eastern states —Ebonyi and Enugu were amongst the states ranked above the National Average. As described by NBS, poverty is multi-dimensional and no single indicator can capture all aspects of poverty, hence poverty is based on the availability of certain basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, sanitation facilities, pipe-borne water, quality education, good healthcare and access to the right information.
Statistically, NBS determine poverty based on income and/or consumption, which assigns numbers to living standards and makes it easier to calculate poverty. From the 2019 Poverty Rate data released recently, where Ebonyi recorded 79.76% and Enugu 58.13%, the consumption expenditure methodology was used rather than the regular income method of the 2003-2004 and 2009-2010 reports. This consumption expenditure is based on the consumption of food and other non-food goods and services. They established a national benchmark of such consumption and used it to rate every state. I understood that the consumption expenditure methodology employed is quite a complex computerized system adopted globally. Interestingly, this is the first time the technique is being adopted in Nigeria.
For these nights, I have been quite sceptical about the data provided by NBS. However, a little study and findings buttressed my initial wavering belief on the credibility of such data. Perhaps Ivan K. Cohen (2015) would always say “even wholly inaccurate data is better than no data at all”. This poverty rate statistics is enough to give any serious-minded governor something to work with.
People are poor because of unjust policies, laws and violations of their rights due to state failure, corruption, inefficiency, negligence, oppression, exploitative sociocultural beliefs, systems cum structures. Poverty is an injustice. Poverty is the denial of rightful opportunities. This data is an interesting somewhat forensic assessment of development in these two states which their leaders should take thankfully and seriously. I have not been to the two states for a while but it is instructive to note that beautiful infrastructure alone does not cover for gaps in real human development indices.
The Ebonyi State Governor has been doing well in infrastructural developments of which can attract foreign investors but then, I think it is high time he started investing in human capital development. The Governor should be worried that of all Igbo petty hawkers in Nigeria, Ebonyians are more than 87%. Of all Igbo petty workers and house helps, a greater number is from same Ebonyi State. In fact, every Igbo man should be worried about it not just the Governor of Ebonyi State.
There are some fundamental questions we need to be asking; how many of these projects can pay itself back in the next five (5) years? How many industrial estates do they have in these states of discuss? How many functional manufacturing companies do they have? How do they intend to sustain numerous fountains that give pleasure and satisfy the eye only at nights? Who are their donor agencies or are the states doing those projects alone? Can they declare their real Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) without bias? Governor Umahi and Governor Ugwuanyi really need to go back to their drawing board, work with this revealing data by NBS and get their state priority right.
Ebonyi state has customarily been known to record the least number of individuals registered for the annual SSCE and JAMB examination for the past twenty (20) years or more. To ascertain this report, I would like us to steal out time from our busy schedule to interview most of the youths who hawk cashew nuts, plantain chips, phone accessories etc at traffic points and within the streets of major cities in southern Nigeria. After your interview with some of these youths, you will agree with me that most of these young ambitious youths are Ebonyians.
There you will agree with me that this report is indeed a reflection of reality and it is a sad situation that the two South East States above the National Average has not improved in the last fifteen (15) years. I say this because of the 2003-2004 and 2009/2010 NBS poverty headcount reports. According to the NBS report, Ebonyi had 63.2% in 2003-2004, 82.9% in 2009-2010. If you compare that to the recently released data by NBS, you would see that there is no much difference in the curve, meaning that there is something they are not getting right in Ebonyi. Or maybe they have not been working with these reports.
At the other hand, while Enugu had 50.2% in 2003-2004 NBS poverty headcount report and 60.6% in 2009-2010 report. It is obvious that these leaders need to step up their games. I doubt if they study some of these data at all. Any serious Governor will ensure he works with the realities on the ground, thereby improving the system. It is not rocket science. Enugu is still one of the most wonderful eastern states if not the most admirable in cleanliness, organisational structure and constant power supply…amidst others, but that does not mean there is no room for improvement.
An average Abia man generates resources that are mostly devoid of government help and can, therefore, thrive ever even with a non-performing government or performing government. In the 2003-2004 NBS poverty headcount report, Abia State had 40.9% and in 2009-2010 it had 50.2%, but in the recently released data by the NBS, Abia State is among the states below National Average with 30.7%.
That is a great improvement from what used to be. And it does mean that, if we eventually fix the infrastructural decay in Abia, we would be competing with Delta, Lagos and other states with the very low percentage in the poverty headcount rate. In 2003-2004, Oyo was estimated to have the lowest poverty rate (38%) while Jigawa had the highest (95.3%). In 2009-2010, Osun State had the lowest poverty rate (37.5%) and Jigawa remained the highest (85.5%). The greatest progress in poverty reduction between the two surveys was in Lagos State, which reduced from a 69.4% rate in 2003-2004 to 40.3% in 2009-2010.
Our leaders have not demonstrated optimal competency as expected from the mandate given to them. The very concept of a democratic republic presupposes that no citizen should be poor. Since we all pay tax and the Government takes loans and receives grants in our name then why should any citizen be poor until you become needy or less fortunate or under privilege even ‘impoverished’?! The poverty in Nigeria today, is squarely caused by the State and our sociocultural system. It is completely man-made and I can guarantee us that our problem is not caused by a ‘god’, a ‘prophet’ or a ‘grand wizard’. It is not because of our sins we are facing this hardcore poverty and wretchedness. Our problems are purely and solely material. They are not at all spiritual. Our leaders should start looking at things as they are. It will only take a material struggle, not a spiritual one, to change our conditions permanently and that time is now.
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