How Poverty Can Be Defeated In Nigeria – Atiku

Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has said that eliminating poverty from Nigeria can be achieved if there is a political will.

A statement on Thursday by his media aide, Paul Ibe, quoted Atiku as saying at the commissioning of two factories and one microfinance bank, in Yola, the Adamawa State, on Monday.

Atiku, while welcoming guests to the commissioning of the Standard Microfinance Bank said that his vision for the bank from inception has been to be a driver for the elimination of poverty.

He said: “it is not a good thing that Nigeria has been designated as the world capital of extreme poverty. As a person, I am not comfortable with that reality and we must do all we can to provide jobs for the people and create opportunities that will take them out of poverty”.

“Eliminating poverty from Nigeria is doable and like they say that charity begins at home, we chose to start from Adamawa State to convince Nigerians with our successes here that it is possible to eradicate extreme poverty from this country.”

Abubakar invited the Governor of the state, Adamu Umaru Fintiri alongside members of the State Executive Council to join him in the commissioning of the projects.

Speaking at the event, Governor Fintiri lauded Atiku and the Priam Group for his interventions in job creation in Adamawa State.

He said: “Acknowledging that, “it is noteworthy that after the state government, Your Excellency (Atiku Abubakar) is the next highest employer of labour and I want to assure you of our commitment to support your efforts both as a private citizen and also in your capacity as a corporate citizen by providing the enabling environment for your investment to thrive.”

In his speech, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Branch Controller in Yola, Mr. Ishaku Jatau, remarked that the Standard Micro Finance Bank has been a major driver of poverty reduction in Adamawa State, saying: “We agree with your records of successes in the area of poverty reduction and we commend you for your level of professionalism as well.”

After the unveiling of the corporate headquarters of Standard MFB, the train moved to the industrial zone of Yola and also commissioned two factories, the Woven Sack Plant and Shrink Laminate Plant, all under the umbrella of the Priam Group.

The two factories will provide backward integration for the production of bagging utilities for the Priam Group of companies and manufacturers in Adamawa, the North-East zone of the country, and neighboring countries.