by Rotimi Ogungbola

The world’s arrival  at a level where  the voice of any human being can be heard is a major achievement of the 21st century; however this development has been accompanied with challenges of  misinterpreting details, passing false information, hyperbolic reports based on individual sentiment and emotion to mention a few. These problems have continued on various levels and have denied our nation few steps that would have been taken ahead. It has gotten to a point where we have to distinguish between objective and subjective thoughts and inferences on communal issues, watery and solid approaches in order to move forward without delay or complexity.

Reading through Ademola Adeeko’s article which he titled “In Kwara State, Poverty said Hi” published on www.ekekeee.com , it’s not difficult to identify another unconventional approach to communal issue. Leaving out the numerous grammatical errors and weak sentences which the so called ‘graduate’ and his ‘publisher’ couldn’t identify,  it’s apparently too low-a-blow for an educated elite to make such an approach, inappropriate identification of  issue. This rejoinder is not defensive, but ‘empirically’ analytic. Poverty is not peculiar to Kwara, Nigeria, or Africa; poverty is peculiar to the world, even though its intensity varry from one continent and nation to the other, among states fighting poverty in Nigeria, Kwara State is peaking evident from the palliative measures put in place by the State leadership over the years. However, alleviating poverty is systematic, and not an event. You will not hesitate to agree with me that United Nations, European Union, African Union, Chinese government among others have been combating poverty in Africa, Asia, South America e.t.c. for many decades, yet it has not ended but figures show that it is thoroughly reducing. If Sie-Olorunsogo people in Kwara are living below standard among many other cities, towns and villages in Kwara state, it is not enough to ting poverty with the whole state.

As a young graduate and educate elite which you are by qualification, I expect you’d research more into the situation in other areas of  the State, assess government effort before putting up your article- that would be useful for future intended articles anyway. However, not to take you too far into record, I will refer you to recent government, group and individual productive efforts in reducing poverty in Kwara to the bearest minimum; the State employment scheme, KWABES which has offered jobs and vocational training to thousands of youths across the State is a major effort; similar to that is the empowerment delivered to several people last January in the constituency  by Senator Bukola Saraki coupled with free UTME forms and extra mural lectures given to aspiring university candidates across Kwara are noticeable efforts. Leah Foundation, Alaafia Kwara Foundation among other Non-Governmental Organizations are also contributing to the fight against poverty in the State.

Lately, UN MDGs rural projects have been approved to start in some rural areas of  Kwara. Of course, the leaders too are not silent- In January, Senator Bukola Saraki in a meeting, frankly challenged and task Local Government and Ward Leaders on development in their various Local Government Areas and Wards across the State. As Nigerians, It is important to note that development and communal progress are collaborative concepts in reality, people have to join hands with the government through advocacy and resourceful contributions using every platform available to us. I commend Ademola for pointing out the problem in the village he visited, but his article presented to us a minnow in the ocean, whereas he is using the minnow to judge the size of other fishes in the ocean. I task him to make further research objectively considering efforts of  NGOs, the State Government among others, and also profer a solution including his own contribution beyond pen. Several corp members have joined in the campaign against poverty by soliciting for fund to execute projects in the fight against poverty- I also did such few years ago while serving.

If Ademola can come with a proposal containing solution to what he witnessed, I have a strong feeling that Kwara state government will be willing to support  his initiative.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.