[Nigeria] Nigerians Abroad To Partner NAPEP On Poverty Eradication

from The Daily Independent

By Sanya Adejokun

Senior Correspondent, Abuja

National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) has initiated discussions with Nigerians in the Diaspora with a view to enlisting their support for the country’s poverty eradication agenda.

Both the national coordinator of the NAPEP, Dr Magnus Kpakol, and the programme secretary, Ganiyu Obatoyimbo, recently held meetings with individuals and some non-governmental organisations, both in the United States and Europe, where great enthusiasms were shown for the programme.

One of such organisations, Africa 2000, an international NGO, on Tuesday, visited the headquarters of NAPEP in Abuja, where they discussed modalities for the participation of wealthy Nigerians abroad in the fight against poverty.

According to Kpakol, initial talks had been held between NAPEP and other Nigerian groups abroad, disclosing that the enthusiasm among those of them willing to participate in the programme had been overwhelming.

His words, “The Give-Back programme (of NAPEP) is very important for us. It took us some time to get to it because we wanted to basically stabilise our other programmes that we have in the country- our multi-partner; micro-finance schemes; Promise Keeper programme; Community Economic Sensitisation programme; skill acquisition programme, all of that, established before looking for assistance from outside.

“Just to mention to you, the, programme secretary and myself were privileged to be in Washington, where we had dialogue with few Nigerian professors and others in the spirit of Give Back, in addition to a few other trips that I made personally and to the U S to talk to Nigerians about the Give-Back pogramme.