100 million Nigerians are in poverty, says President Buhari

L-R, Osinbajo, Buhari, Senate President Lawan

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has charged ministers-designate to be ready to work with his government to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

Buhari spoke while declaring open a two-day retreat for 43 ministers-dsignate in Abuja on Monday, saying that incoming Ministers should ensure that all hands were on deck to realise the administration’s vision of laying the grounds for the lifting of 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in ten years.

The President also asked them to take seriously their responsibility to develop and implement policies, programmes and projects, and harped on the importance of working as a team and communicating among themselves and with the Nigerian people.

In the first technical presentation of the Retreat, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo delivered an overview of the work of the Policies, Programmes and Projects Audit Committee (PPPAC), established by President Buhari in March 2019 and chaired by the Vice President, with a mandate to review the performance in the first term and outline a road map for the new Administration.

This was followed by presentations on National Security, Economic Development and Anti-Corruption Agenda, after which participants engaged in eleven breakout sessions to deliberate on issues across the priority policy areas of the Administration.

These sessions covered Security; Macroeconomic Stability; Agriculture and Food Security; Energy Security in petroleum products and electricity; Transportation and Critical Infrastructure; Industrialisation and SME Development; Human Capital Development; Social Inclusion; Anti-Corruption; and Housing Financing and Consumer Credit.