Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has said poverty and inequality are a bane to Nigeria’s progress.
Gatekeepers News reports that Amaechi said extreme poverty and inequality are major causes for Nigeria’s underdevelopment and must be addressed to attain any meaningful progress.
The Minister stated this at the weekend while speaking during the 49th Convocation lecture of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
He lamented that despite the government’s poverty alleviation programmes, Nigerians are still bogged down by crippling poverty and the nation which is regarded as the giant of Africa is now viewed as the poverty capital of the world.
The Minister noted that a large number of unemployed and homeless persons contributed to rising insecurity and agitations like EndSARS as well as agitations for secession being canvassed by some sections of Nigeria.
Amaechi stated that hitherto poor nations like India and Brazil were able to curb poverty in their enclave.
In the past 10 years, according to him, India was able to lift 273,000 of its citizens from abject poverty while Brazil, between 2001 and 2009, was able to lift 21,000 of its citizens from acute poverty.
