Rivers Releases N1bn for Poverty Alleviation

from All Africa

Daily Champion (Lagos)

NEWS

By Erasmus Alaneme
Abuja

Rivers State governor, Sir Celestine Omehia has released the sum of one billion naira for the campaign against poverty in the state.

According to a statement made available to Daily Champion in Abuja, part of the money, will be channelled towards proper implementation of the Village Economic Development Solutions (VEDs), a new scheme of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP).

Omehia who disclosed this when the National Coordinator of NAPEP, Dr. Magnus L. Kpakol paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Port Harcourt, expressed appreciation for the Federal Government's interest in ensuring that the state was fully involved in all poverty eradication programmes.

The governor said the present administration in Rivers State has developed several programmes to spur mass participation in economic activities.

Omehia assured NAPEP that the state was prepared for partnership aimed at ensuring that the Village Economic Development Solutions Scheme (VEDs) succeeds, adding that development of villages through the "Village Solutions" will eliminate conflict in the region.

The national coordinator of NAPEP, Dr. Kpakol commended the governor for focusing on local economic development.

Dr. Kpakol admits that the fight against poverty is a daunting one and stressed the commitment of the present administration to the eradication of poverty as contained in the 7-point agenda of President Yar'Adua.

The NAPEP boss said the Village Economic Development Solutions Scheme known as the Village Solutions aims a bottom-up approach to community development to bring about modernization of villages. He explained that the village solution will explore the use of resources available in the villages to spur economic development.

He said that economic growth must be spurred from the grassroots if Nigeria was to become one of the largest 20 economies by 2020 as emphasized by President Yar'Adua.

Rivers state through NAPEP has so far polled a total of 3 billion naira in the fight against poverty in partnership with Oceanic Bank.