…Says, there can’t be security with 80% citizens in poverty
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani has said that poverty and increasing number of children out of school are responsible for insecurity in the State, admitting that there cannot be peace and security in the State when 80 percent of the citizens, especially in rural areas are in living in poverty.
The Governor stated this at Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Hall, Kaduna on Thursday, as he inaugurated Kaduna State Inter-Religious Harmony Committee, adding that, there are over 600,000 out of school children in the state and they must be returned to school for peace to reign in the State.
Governor Sani however said his government will work with religious leaders to ensure peace and development of the State, pleading with the religious leaders of Muslim and Christian faiths to support the government through preaching of peace among their followers.
According to the governor, “Children of the poor who are supposed to be in the classroom are roaming the streets and we say we want to solve the problem of insecurity? It cannot happen. Therefore, we must take back to school or we forget it.
“we are having problems. That is why I told you that there is poverty crisis in the rural areas; 80 per cent of our people there are living below the poverty line. That is the fact of the matter.
“Last month, we started construction of 32 road across the state, most of which are in the rural areas. Again, next week, we will start building 100 schools to take care of our school children in Kaduna State, because this is the way to address the problem of out of school children.
“Again, out research has shown that, majority of this children are at home because of poverty. People in the rural areas don’t send their children to school because they want them to go to farm or go to hawk. So, if we don’t reduce the poverty rate from 80 per cent to at least 30 per cent in the next few years, we will never be able to address the problem of out of school children.”
“So, we must revitalize the economy of the rural areas through job creation to end poverty, and that is the only way we can develop Kaduna State. And must work collectively with all stakeholders, including the religious leaders to achieve this”.
The Governor said in recognition of the social problems in the state, his administration will be rolling out a lot of social interventions and it will be involving the religious leaders because of their closeness to the people at the grassroots level.
The Governor also disclosed that the state government will working with the religious leaders to generate date of orphans in the state for the 5,000 scholarship programne by Qatar Charity Foundation.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kaduna State, Rev. John Joseph Hayab said, with support and cooperation of the government, religious leaders can change the negative story of Kaduna to a positive one like they did in the past, which led to nine years of peace in the state.
In his own remarks, Chairman Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Kaduna State, Professor Shefiu Abdullahi called for establishment of two unity schools to be sited one each in south and north of the state, believing that, such will foster unity in the state, as against the common tradition of faith based schools that have left children unexposed to the culture and religions of others.
The Inter-Religious Harmony Committee meeting was however agreed to be held every quarter of the year.