Poverty Index: Vice President Spreading Lies in US, Jonathan Insists

Following a statement credited to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo
in the United States, that Nigerians were poorer in 2010 than under
the present situation, former President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday
described the statement is false, insisting that the vice president
was spreading lies in the US.

In a statement signed by his Media Aide, Reno Omokri, and
credited to him yesterday, the ex-president said Osinbajo’s claim
to the media was an effort to explain away his non-performance in
office.

Osinbajo had in New York Monday said: “As at 2010, Nigeria had
about 112.7million people living in extreme poverty. Nothing in
place; there was no social investment programme, there was no
social security, no way of taking people out of poverty.”

But in his reaction, Jonathan said: “According to the United
Nations and the World Poverty Clock (WPC), Nigeria overtook India
as the world headquarters for extreme poverty on Tuesday, June 26,
2018, when her population of extremely poor people increased to an
unprecedented 87 million people.

“If, according to both the UN and the WPC, Nigeria’s population
of extremely poor people hit an unprecedented number of 87 million
people in 2018 under General Buhari, how is it possible that there
were 112.7 million people living in extreme poverty in 2010?” he
queried.

He said if it was true that Nigeria was poorer in 2010, the
country would have overtaken India as the world headquarters for
extreme poverty in 2010, noting that as at that time, India did not
have such numbers of extremely poor people.

Jonathan said: “You see that no matter how far and fast
Osinbajo’s regular falsehood travels, it will always be overtaken
by truth.

“The truth is that the period between 2010 and 2015 witnessed
the most radical reduction in poverty, ever in Nigerian
history.

“For instance, according to the annual Global Hunger Index
published by the US-based International Food Policy Research
Institute, whereas hunger increased in other parts of sub Saharan
Africa, for the first time since records were kept, hunger reduced
in Nigeria by 20 per cent in 2013 under my administration.

I encourage my readers to google this information.”

The ex-president said according to the same International Food
Policy Research Institute, hunger in Nigeria has risen every year
since 2015.

He also debunked the claim that there was no social investment
programme under his administration, adding that, “On the contrary,
the most successful social intervention programmes ever put in
place in Nigeria, were introduced and implemented by our
government.

“This included the Subsidy Removal Empowerment called SURE-P,
whereby roads, hospitals and child care clinics amongst others were
funded from the proceeds of the partially removed subsidy,
including the ongoing Second Niger Bridge that this administration
dishonestly tried to take credit for, headed by renowned
industrialist and diplomat, Dr. Christopher Kolade and the
Conditional Cash Transfer programme to poor Nigerians and pregnant
women (which the Buhari administration has praised publicly).”

He said his administration also had several initiatives to turn
around the lives of Nigerian youths, including the Youth Enterprise
With Innovation in Nigeria (YouWin), the Graduate Internship Scheme
(GIS), the Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovations
and Development scholarships (PRESSID) to First Class graduates of
Nigerian universities to mention a few.

Jonathan said his government also built 165 almajiri schools to
help reduce the 12 million strong population of out-of-school
children in Northern Nigeria, as well as built 12 new federal
universities.

“The policy of our administration was that it was better to give
Nigerians a hand-up via education and grants to start their own
businesses, rather than give our people handouts of small sums of
money that is essentially fish, but doesn’t teach them to fish.

“In conclusion, I will like to say again that Mr. Osinbajo has
shown himself to be a man of very base character, who lies as much
as the devil that he preaches against and whose behaviour has
undermined the faith of genuine believers.

“It will be recalled that only last week, Mr. Osinbajo claimed
that the 2019 elections were better than the 2015 elections,
despite the verdict of the US, EU and AU to the contrary.

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