‘Nigeria Now Headquarters of World Poverty’

Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

A university lecturer, Professor Dauda Tankoh, has described Nigeria as the leading headquarters of the world poverty, stressing that the inability of the policy makers to adopt the strategies to achieve conservation of natural resources for sustainable economic development and other goals has failed Nigerians.

He pointed out that insecurity is the order of the day ravaging the lives of the innocent citizens and making conservation activities almost impossible.

The professor stated this in his paper titled: ‘Biodiversity Conversation for Sustainable

Economic in a post-COVID-19 era, dress it and keep it, for this is the whole duty of man’, which was presented at the 11th inaugural lecture of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State.

Professor Tanko has observed that it’s clear that the policy strategies adopted to achieve conservation of natural resources for sustainable economic development and other goals have failed Nigeria.

According to him, “Today, hunger is ravaging the land; poverty is fast overtaking the country, as Nigeria is leading in world poverty, with Nigeria as its headquarters. Insecurity is the order of the day ravaging the lives of the innocent people and making conservation activities almost impossible.

“Further to this, the rural areas and the rural economy remain underdeveloped and lacking in every facility necessary to improve the welfare and well-being of the rural dwellers.”

Tanko noted  that there is the need for policy strategic action and re-direction, to give it new focus to the country.

 He said: “The community-based model of biodiversity conservation in combination with the eco-systemic model mended as the sure path to recreating and managing the old days of biodiversity in Nigeria, and will focus more on the community as key
actors in the conservation activities.”