Prof. Lai Olurode, a professor of Sociology, Faculty of Social Science, University of Lagos, Akoka, has advised the Federal Government to generate accurate data to improve the coverage and efficiency of its social assistance programmes.
Olurode gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
He said data had remained a major impediment to tackling poverty in Nigeria and in Africa.
Olurode was reacting to the IMF report that Nigeria’s social safety net, which was created to support poor and vulnerable people in the country, suffered from limited coverage and weak targeting.
“First of all there is no data, without data you cannot reach the poor because we need to know where the poor are and how they can be located. We don’t have this data.
“So the best thing we need to do is to work on our database; let’s have the data of where they live and let’s collect information on them.
“And then make them open an account, give them N5,000 as grants like the politicians do. Without doing this we will not be able to address the sufferings of the people,” he said.
He explained that locating the poorest of the poor would need networking with community leaders, adding that although, the community leaders themselves were not to be completely trusted.
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“You cannot reach them from Abuja, it’s not possible and you can’t reach them from most of the state capitals, poor people live in small communities, where the elders and religious leaders know them,” he said.
He said in Africa, almost 490 million people were living in poverty, on less than two dollars per day, and that was almost 50 per cent of the population of the continent.
He said poverty was going to be more biting for the majority of the people due to the high cost of petrol, particularly in Nigeria where the poor survived and ran their businesses mostly with fuel.
The professor urged the government to ensure fair distribution of petroleum products to enable ordinary people run their businesses and for farmers to move their produce to the market.
(NAN)
