The Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume has tasked Nigerians at all levels to consider poverty eradication as the basis of a sustainable country.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Nigeria chapter of the International Christian Organisation for Sustainable Development (ICOSD) in Abuja over the weekend, Akume described the emergence of the Nigerian chapter as timely as government alone cannot eradicate poverty and fix the society.
George Akume, who was the chairman of the occasion, was represented by one of his Senior Special Assistants in the ministry, Professor Babatunde Benard noted that this has always resulted in the wastage of government’s lean financial and human resources, thereby inhibiting the goals and objectives for which the projects and programmes were conceived in the first place.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, represented by Francis Wasa, Director ICT, Office the SGF, said poverty cuts across, saying it neither knows gender nor age, and does not have know barrier and commended ICOSD’s bold step to eradicate poverty in Nigeria.
Earlier in his welcome address, President of ICOSD, Bishop (Prof.) Joseph Vambe said the organisation’s “mission is to eradicate poverty in the society, with the belief that poverty is neither divine nor as a result of scarce resources but anthropogenic and cuts across all religions.
He said the organisation “is positioned to strategically harness charity, humanitarian, investment and development services with a view to complementing government’s efforts in eradicating the sufferings of the vulnerable, the needy, disadvantaged and marginalised people through our divine model – Appointment, Training and Empowerment (ATE) as captured in ICOSD’s modus operandi.
“ICOSD represents the global voice of billions of people: Christian lawyers, scientists, journalists, doctors, researchers, technocrats, environmentalists, philanthropists, human rights activists, politicians, Church leaders, and the entire society.”
