The Scourge Of Poverty

"ONE DAY THE POOR WILL HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO EAT BUT THE RICH."

The Scourge Of Poverty.

Poverty is a degradation of human dignity and the inability to make wishful choices and get opportunities. Poverty is a major source of worry all over the world and it has been a major developmental problem in Africa and Nigeria in particular.

Poverty, correlated to underdevelopment, ignorance, retarded growth and  illiteracy. Poverty remains a scourge of society as a threat to the progress and well being of humanity. The problem of poverty is so enormous that its reduction or elimination has become the common goal of all states and nations. Poverty does not based on lack of one thing but many different interrelated factors and it's more than the lack of income and resources to ensure a sustainable livelihood.

Its manifestation include hunger, malnutrition, limited access to education, social discrimination, exclusion as well as lack of participation in decision-making and other basic services. As far as poverty is concerned, children are mostly affected, and this poses a problem for the country as children being poor means they lack access to quality education or they will not perform excellently in school. It's difficult for the needy to get their daily bread. Eight hundred and thirty-six million people across the globe still live in extreme poverty, while high poverty rate are often found in small, fragile and conflict affected countries. Some children who are born in poor family, live in rural areas or no access to shelter. Some lack education, simply because their parents do not have money to sponsor them and a lot of them drop out due to poverty.

In the real sense of our time, poverty has led so many people to become alms begging. Most of the countries, people can hardly afford three regular square meals a day. The needy eat what they see; a lot of people suffer from deadly diseases which prevent them from being productive. Children are starving; they look like skeleton; children are dying from lack of food, water and shelter; instead of eating balance diet, they eat damaged diet, such as fried lizards, snake and other animals that are not edible. Poverty has led so many people to become street beggars and street snatchers especially children at a very tender age, simply because there is no sufficient money for them to survive; some join bad gangs in order to get what they want. Other causes of poverty include unemployment, social exclusion, vulnerability towards disasters, diseases and other phenomenon which prevent them from being productive. Poverty has remained high in rural areas, remote communities. over ten million children at a very tender age are out of schools with no knowledge and skills. Millions of people are starving while the elites are receiving pleasure. Most families are eating just to satisfy hunger, while their meals are deficient in basic nutrients. This has led to increase in crimes like kidnapping,  fraudulent, smuggling and armed robberies; the problem is made worse by rampant inflation.

I deem it fit, it's high time that the government took some serious measures to tackle poverty. If they take steps to ensure availability of employment to the public then poverty can be significantly reduced. Affluent Nigerians should initiate skill acquisition schemes for people in their communities. Legislators should also use part of their constituency allowance to assist their constituents, particularly those who are not educated. In efforts to develop their skills and create wealth, people should be able to assert themselves as active agents throughout their own lives by harnessing the potential of education, science, culture and information. They got money for war but can't feed the poor; fighting poverty in a sustainable manner requires providing everyone with the means to be autonomous.

I,  Yusuf, urge the government to create practical efforts to solve the issue of poverty. Affluent Nigerians should provide employment opportunities and should help their neighbours who are starving.

  ~ YUSUF ALHAJI YUSUF ~