A civil society group, International Human Rights Commission has on Friday alerted Nigerians of the looming hardship in the country.
As a result of the warning, the group charged the Nigerian government to extend the Social Intervention Programme to rural communities to alleviate the impacts of the rising poverty in Nigeria.
The Ambassador at Large and Head of Diplomatic Missions of IHRC in Nigeria, Dr Duru Hezekiah, made this known while doling out relief materials to low-income earning disabled.
The report ascribed the country’s poverty profile on poor access to education, living standards, health, employment and security.
Further report published by NBS put the country’s Inflation rate at 21.47 per cent – the highest level since September 2005.
NBS, however, raised alarm that the poverty rate must be urgently tackled to avert disaster.
He said, “We are really in an economic crisis. And if it’s not checked, I tell you, the time is coming when will go into a fiasco, a time is coming when in fact, Nigeria will be declared a ‘hunger country’ and that is why we are still appealing to the government.
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“In International Human Rights Commission, we don’t believe in protests. We don’t believe in riots.
“We believe in dialogue and negotiation. And so we keep appealing to the government, advising them on way forward to find a lasting solution. I know we might not be able to eradicate poverty 100 per cent but I tell you the growth of a nation begins with the growth of the people. If the people are happy, if the people are well taken care of, there will be growth. Look at the developed countries today.
“The rate of poverty is low compared to us here. So if governments want to be true to themselves, they should help us by empowering these people so that they can be able to cope with the level of inflation.”
