A former National Coordinator of the National Poverty Eradication Programme, Professor Magnus Kpakol, has warned that cash transfers alone cannot lift Nigerians out of poverty, urging the Federal Government to focus more on building productive capacity and creating sustainable incomes.
Kpakol, who spoke during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday, said poverty reduction programmes should ultimately be judged by whether beneficiaries could graduate from welfare and become economically independent.
“At the end of the day, it’s not about cash transfers. It’s not about all of that. It’s not about money given to somebody. It’s about us being more able to produce the goods and services that the people of the world want,” he said.
Kpakol, however, commended the Federal Government’s new poverty reduction programme, describing it as a good initiative, but said its communication to Nigerians needed improvement.
“Let me say right away that I commend the programme. I think it’s a good programme. The problem is with the communication. I’m not so sure that it’s being communicated well,” he said.
