Introduced
early in 2001, NAPEP is the current programme which focuses on the provision of
“strategies for the eradication of absolute poverty in Nigeria” (FRN, 2001,
NAPEP is complemented by the National Poverty Eradication Council (NAPEC) which
is to coordinate the poverty-reduction related activities of all the relevant
Ministries, Parastatals and Agencies. It
has the mandate to ensure that the wide range of activities are centrally
planned, coordinated and complement one another so that the objectives of
policy continuity and sustainability are achieved.
Upon
consideration of the Joda Panel and Abdullahi Committee Reports, fourteen (14)
core poverty alleviation Ministries were identified as follows:
i.
Agriculture and Rural Development
ii.
Education
iii. Water
Resources
iv. Industry
v.
Power and Steel
vi. Employment,
Labour and Productivity
vii. Women
Affairs and Youth Development
viii.Health
ix. Works
and Housing
x.
Environment
xi. Solid
Minerals Development
xii. Science
and technology
xiii.Finance, and National Planning Commission
Similarly, thirty-seven (37) core poverty alleviation institutions,
agencies and programmes were identified. The poverty reduction-realted
activities of the relevant institutions under NAPEP have been classified into
four namely:
(i)
Youth
Empowerment Scheme (YES) which deals with capacity acquisition, mandatory
attachment, productivity improvement, credit delivery, technology development
and enterprise promotion;
(ii)
Rural
Infrastructure development Scheme (RIDS) which deals with the provision of
potable and irrigation water, transport (rural and urban), rural energy and
power support;
(iii)
Social
Welfare Service Scheme (SOWESS) which deals with special education, primary
healthcare services, establishment and maintenance of recreational centres,
public awareness facilities, youth and student hostel development, environmental
protection facilities, food security provisions, micro and macro credits
delivery, rural telecommunications facilities, provision of mass transit, and
maintenance culture and
(iv)
Natural Resource
development and Conservation Scheme (NRDCS) which deals with the harnessing
of the agricultural, water, solid mineral resources, conservation of land and
space (beaches, reclaimed land, etc) particularly for the convenient and
effective utilization by small-scale operators and the immediate community.
In effect, the
current poverty eradication programme of the country is social welfare services
and natural resource development, provision of social welfare services and
natural resources development and conservation. Details about these are
provided in the Blueprint for the schemes under the National Poverty
Eradication Programm (as revised in June, 2001). In the attempt to overcome the
inadequacies of provisions programmes, the NAPEP Blueprint has the following
features (Aliu, 2001:12-13):
· It
adopts the participatory bottom-up approach in programme implementation and
monitoring;
· It
provides for rational framework which lays emphasis on appropriate and
sustainable institutional arrangement;
· It
provides for pro-active and affirmative actions deliberate targeted at women,
youths, farmers and the disabled;
· It
provides for the participation of all registered political parties, traditional
rulers, and the communities;
· It
provides for technology acquisition and development particularly for agriculture
and industry;
· It
provides for capacity building for existing skills acquisition and training
centres;
· It
provides for the provision of agricultural and industrial extension services to
rural areas;
· It
provides for institutional development for marketing of agricultural and industrial
products; and
· It
provides for integrated schemes for youth empowerment, development of
infrastructure, provision of social welfare services and exploitation of
natural resources.
What becomes
obvious from a careful consideration of the foregoing and their elaborations in
the blueprint is much of the problems that attended previous efforts have been
sharply focused upon following their identification. Nonetheless, the statement
of good intentions and enunciation of measures towards poverty eradication are
only necessary but not sufficient conditions. The way forward is to recognize
the problems and look beyond to operational and incidental matters that may
arise at the level of implementation vis-Ã -vis pertinent issues that may not
have been adequately covered in the blue print.