JIGAWA THE SECOND HIGHEST POVERTY STATE IN NIGERIA MY ARGUMENT AND THE CHALLENGES IN THE NEXT LEVEL... By Comrade Ahmed Ilallah

HADEJIA A YAU!

My mind vibrates, when I read the report that put Jigawa as the second poverty state in Nigeria, just after Zamfara, many can easily admit the position of Zamfara, due to the current insurgency, which is taking years now.

But my concern, dismay and arguments is the position of Jigawa. Jigawa cannot be in the highest poverty level in this country, I am questioning the methodology used for obtaining the result. What are the variables and modules used in the statistics that produced the said result? If employment generations, women & youth empowerment and increased in per capita incomes are instruments against poverty, Jigawa is among the realistic state in these capacity.

Jigawa a rural state, means the majority of the population are rural residents.  The present administration policy of empowering rural women with the programme titled “Goat Multiplication Programme” has not only enriched our local women, but has also increased the populations of small ruminants in the state. The programme is just an addition to the cluster farming programme and many empowerment programmes that are professorial of Jigawa State. In fact, the government policy has attracted private investors, like Dangote Rice, Gwiwa Independent Power Project and many others, that are all on stream.

Jigawa state as agricultural state, the state, the government of federation and the private investors in the last four years have hugely invested in agriculture, specifically in rice, sesame and wheat production, which yields a significant result especially in the Northeast of Jigawa and Southwest. Jigawa State is at the top in rice production in the country. I am assured of great economy and investments development and transformation in the state in the last years, through Jigawa Invest, we have factories that are now fully working. All these are visible.

The report can be a starting challenge to the incoming administration in the state, both the executive and legislative, if the report is against our expectation and has the facts that we are at that level. The challenges would be for the leaders to have a fresh strategy of alleviating poverty in the state with good understanding of the generality of Jigawa.

Though, I am googling to have the full report, I personally question the accuracy of this investigation. 

I boldly call the state government and all the CSOs that, we are working independently for good governance to perusal the report, and enlighten the public to disregard it.

This report is faulty, Jigawa is beyond many of the overrated states.