ABUJA, JANUARY 15, 2017 – The President of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has disclosed that political farmers are main beneficiaries of different Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) interventions to support rural farmers.
The labour president raised the allegation yesterday at a meeting organised by Action Aid Nigeria in Abuja as part of activities to mark 2017 Global Week of Action to Fight Inequality.
He said inequality has permeated through the entire system, especially between the rich and the poor in Nigeria.
Wabba identified extreme poverty in the country, lack of efficient pro-poor policies and weak social protection programmes as a result of inequality.
“I have seen of recent on this issue of diversification, I saw people with briefcase and ties calling themselves FG Yet To Inaugurate C’ttee On New Minimum Wage – NLCfarmers.
They have no connection with the real farmers in the village. They don’t have land. They are portfolio farmers, political farmers. If you go to the CBN, they collect those loans and divert it.
Actionaid Country Director, Ojobo Atuluku, in her remark identified women and youth as most hit by impacts of inequality.
She said the non governmental organisation discovered that poverty and inequality was the major bane to developing the people.
“For decades, we have focused our work on reducing inequalities which drive and deepen poverty and exclusion. We have moved our work to the whole community, targeting the conditions and situation of children, both boys and girls, and the empowerment of women as indicators of a community’s progress,” Atuluku said.
