By Okeoghene Akubuike

The Federal Government says it remains committed to supporting implementation of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2022.

Sen. Abubakar Bagudu, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, said this at a Stakeholders Technical Dialogue on the “Operationalisation of the Multidimensional Poverty Index as a Policy Tool in Nigeria” in Abuja on Thursday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2022 MPI report revealed that 63 per cent, that is 133 million Nigerians are multidimensionally poor out of an estimated population of 211 million.

Bagudu said the Federal Government would support the MPI implementation through the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS) and the implementation of the eight -Priority Areas of the present administration.

The minister, represented by Mrs Adeshola Oloyede, the Director overseeing office of the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said the MPI provided a nuanced understanding of poverty’s complexity.

“By measuring factors such as access to clean water, electricity, schooling, and healthcare, we can identify specific areas where interventions are needed, ensuring that no one is left behind.

“Remarkably, the MPI is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 Agenda, ‘leave no one behind’, as it shows the interlinkages of deprivations experienced by poor people.

The minister said the operationalisation of the MPI in Nigeria was a clarion call to action.

“It is a call to embrace a holistic approach to poverty reduction, one that recognises the interlinked deprivations affecting millions of Nigerians.

“By leveraging the MPI, we can craft informed, targeted, and effective policies that address the root causes of poverty and promote sustainable development.

“Let us commit to this transformative journey with determination and unity.

“Together, we can create a Nigeria where every individual has the opportunity to thrive, where no one is left behind, and where the dream of prosperity and well-being becomes a reality for all.”

Mr Adeyemi Adeniran, the Statistician-General of the Federation and CEO, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), said for the statistical System, operationalising the MPI was a welcome development and was well overdue.

Adeniran said there was a need to align the data from the MPI survey with interventions to tackle the issue of poverty in Nigeria in a sustainable way.

“This means going beyond making the necessary data and evidence available to designing targeted programmes and policies to address the issues identified within the data.

“Only when these two things align (the data and the interventions) will we begin to see meaningful and sustainable changes in the lives of the citizens confronted with poverty.

“Therefore, we need to build on the success of the 2022 MPI survey by ensuring that the data is used for the benefit of the citizens.“

He said there was a need to invest in continuous training and technical capacity building of personnel to be able to produce data timely and in a sustainable manner.

Adeniran said this would enable the government to have the appropriate tools to effectively monitor and track the impact of the interventions, and where necessary design new interventions to address any lapses.

“While this means more resources from the government side, it also necessitates more donor support and assistance, both financially and technically.”

Adejoke Orelope- Adefulire, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), said her office was working closely with both state and non-state actors.

Orelope- Adefulire, represented by Dr Bala Inusa, said it would guarantee an inclusive, participatory and collaborative implementation of the SDGs in Nigeria,

“Such strategic partnerships demonstrate our collective commitment to the transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development that is to Leave-no-one- behind.

“It is my hope that this dialogue will strengthen our commitment to work closely together as policymakers and development practitioners in support of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development in Nigeria.“

Ms Elsie Attafuah, the Resident Representative, UNDP, said multidimensional poverty in Nigeria was complex and multifaceted and would require several approaches.

According to her, poverty in Nigeria goes beyond money but it is about millions of people struggling with things we often take for granted.

Attafuah , represented by Dr Jose Levy, the Deputy Resident Representative, said stakeholders must focus on -energy poverty in Nigeria.

“The right investment in energy can turn out to be a game changer in a bid to brighten the future for millions of people and remove them from energy poverty.

“By focusing on targeted investment in clean energy , education, healthcare and social protection we can foster inclusive growth and create a more equitable society.”

She pledged UNDP’s continued support to Nigeria’s development journey.

Beatrice Eyong, the UN Women Country Representative, emphasised the importance of incorporating a solid gender dimension into the MPI programming framework.

“By integrating gender-specific indicators and analysis, we can ensure that the MPI report highlights the disparities and drives targeted interventions that uplift and empower women and girls.”

Eyong, represented by Zapania Aura, said the inclusivity of the MPI report was paramount, adding that it was essential to consider the voices and experiences of marginalised groups.

“By making the MPI more inclusive, the Nigerian Government commits to developing comprehensive strategies that are integrated and aligned with the National Development Plan and leave no one behind, thereby, advancing an equitable and just society.” (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

By Martha Agas

The Trade Modernisation Project (TMP) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), will check the extortion of traders by facilitating the comprehensive tracking of their goods from the beginning of the trade process until delivery.

This is through its Unified Customs Management System(UCMS), a software that would be deployed to monitor all stages of the transactions by traders.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the TMP is the automation of the business processes of the NCS, to simplify and enhance the experience of stakeholders in the trade value chain.

It is also aimed at making it easy to obtain export and import clearances, and in paying duties and obtaining release of goods.

NAN further reports that customs modernisation project, which has three phases, is a 20- year concession agreement.

It was signed on May 27, 2023 between the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by NCS Board, and The Trade Modernisation Project Ltd.

Chief Superintendent of Customs, Usman Abba, Head, Business Analyst for the project, told NAN in an interview on Thursday in Abuja that by using the software traders would be able to know when and where there were hitches in their transactions for redress.

Abba said the system would eliminate fraudulent intent and expose those who take advantage of clients who cannot properly track their goods with the current system to extort them.

“ This is the platform where the trader has access and is able to track all the stages of transactions, and know where the challenge or exactly the issue is untill the goods are delivered,“ he said.

He said that the service had received numerous reports of agents attempting to extract additional funds from their clients, by falsely claiming that their goods had not been cleared by customs when the process had already been completed.

According to him, the software, which will soon be inaugurated, is designed to have information on all transactions, including payments and goods clearance, to enable the trader to act as required.

“ So the trader can log in and see where exactly the goods are, also after he makes payment, he can see through the system that the payment has been done, and even how much has being paid.

“He can even see that the consignment have stepped out from the port, because we have the gate acknowledgement.

“ It means that when the truck is moving out, the system will update that the consignment has been gated out because the system allows integration with the terminal operator ,“ he explained.

He added that other agencies were also being integrated into the system to examine goods according to their constitutional mandates

On the current stage of the development of the software, Abba said that all internal systems had been completed, and final touches were being done on stakeholders integration.

“ What we are working on basically is the stakeholders integration. We are done with customs part and are just on the aspect of few stakeholders, just to show them the system and how to have them integrated.

“ We have engaged the Central Bank of Nigeria,National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control,just a bit to finish up the system,“ he said.

NAN reports that the TMP is targeting generating more than 250 billion Dollars in revenue over the 20 year concession.

The project is aimed at bringing Nigeria at par with the rest of the world in the deployment of technology to facilitate international trade.

It would also assist the Federal Government in achieving economic diversification by facilitating easier cross-border trading.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Gabriel Yough

By Martha Agas

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, says plans are ongoing by the Federal Government to establish six mineral centres in the six geo-political zones.

According to Alake, the aim is to boost the sector.

Alake said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

He said that the plan was part of the President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to diversify the country’s economy, by developing key sectors such as the solid minerals industry.

“Another one is the creation of six mineral centres in each of the six geo-political zones.

“We have our minerals all over the country and we cannot concentrate the mineral processing centres in one centre, and as we speak those plans are ongoing in the zones”, he said.

According to the Minister, the centres are also part of the government’s commitment to promote value addition to its minerals, aimed at facilitating multiplier effects on the economy.

NAN recalls that the minister had announced that no licence would be granted to mining companies to operate without presenting a comprehensive plan for value addition such as processing and refining.

Alake said that investors in the past extracted raw mineral resources from Nigeria without adding value to them, which he described as a great loss to the country’s economy.

“Lithium is one of the finest qualities in the world, and it has other associated minerals like nickel, cobalt, and copper.

“So when an operator takes an ounce of our Lithium out of Nigeria, perhaps he declares Lithium.

“But when he gets to his host country, he now has other associated minerals to his gain and to the loss of Nigeria.

“So our major policy which we enacted is that, henceforth, we would no longer approve an application from an investor that does not show us a concrete plan for local value addition.

“Which means processing here to add local value addition, and this will generate a multiplier effect like local employment, technology and skills transfer,” he said.

He said that the move was in line with plans to locally produce Electric Vehicle’s (EVs) batteries in Nigeria, whose major ingredient is Lithium.

“Our objective here is to begin to produce EVs batteries with Lithium and other associated minerals, ” he said.

The Minister said that the local value addition policy had also been widely accepted by other African countries aimed at developing their local economies. (NAN)

Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

By Martha Agas

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, says that plans are ongoing to increase the number of Mining Marshal Corps from 60 to 100.

The increase would be across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Alake said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

He said that the move was part of efforts of the Federal Government to secure the mining operating environment aimed at attracting Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) to boost the economic profile of the country.

NAN reports that the Mining Marshal Corps inaugurated on March 21, were drawn from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to combat illegal mining.

The corps has 2,220 personnel, who have been specially trained by the military in modern warfare as a rapid response squad with 60 deployed across the 36 states and the FCT.

“We are looking at adding to the number to get a minimum of 100 in each state from the 60 on ground,” he said.

He said that the President Bola Tinubu`s administration was determined to sanitise the mining sector and reposition it by putting in place policy measures to attract big players to the sector.

Alake said that prospective investors would need assurance of the security of the operating environment, their investment, equipment and personnel.

The minister said that the insecurity situation at mining sites across the federation prompted the president to establish an inter-ministerial committee on Jan.17.

He explained that the committee was to produce a blueprint for securing Nigeria’s natural resources, which consisted of mineral sites, marine economy and forests.

The minister, however, said that while deliberations were still on-going by the committee on producing a comprehensive security architecture for the natural resources, the mining marshal corps was established in the interim.

“Insecurity is rife in the forests where the solid minerals are deposited.

“The inter-ministerial efforts are ongoing as set up by the president but I couldn’t wait because of the criticality in curbing the illegality in the sector,” he said.

He said that the initiative was yielding the desired results, as more than 200 suspects had been arrested, with 133 being prosecuted and two foreigners convicted for illegal operations.

According to him, many requests are being received from states for the deployment of marshals in areas identified as sites of illegal mining due to their success.

“Every day, I receive requests from states asking for the deployment of these mining marshals to particular areas in their forests where they notice illegal operations going on.

“And they have gone inside the forests, the operating field to arrest, more than 200 have been arrested, about 133 are being prosecuted right now in various courts across the various states of the country.

“And recently, two foreign nationals were jailed, convicted of operating illegally in the mining sector in Nigeria”, he said. (NAN)

Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams