Chinese Envoy: How Nigeria Must Invest to Eradicate Poverty
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, has said for Nigeria to achieve her poverty eradication targets, there must be conscious and systematic investment in education, food, housing, and security, among others.
The advice came at a time President Bola Tinubu inaugurated members of his cabinet expected to assist him to actualise his renewed hope campaign manifesto.
Jianchun, who spoke in Abuja, yesterday, at the unveiling of the Hausa edition of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s book, ‘Up and Out of Poverty’ said there were many lessons from the book for Nigeria as both countries shared many similarities.
The envoy, while noting that the book was written in 1988 and contained the thoughts of the current president on how to eradicate poverty, revealed that it was the book that the president used in eradicating extreme poverty between 2012 and 2022.
Stressing that poverty revolved around two basic needs and three guarantees, he said, “For the basic needs, we have first, food and secondly, clothing. For the three guarantees, we have compulsory education, basic medical care, and safe housing.
“Nigeria needs to fix the educational sector. The country has a lot of dropouts and we all know that without education, a country cannot move forward. Nigeria needs to fix the medical challenges it is facing to eradicate poverty.
“The measures that China took were to boost the economy. The economy is a decisive factor to eliminate poverty. Nigeria needs to rely on its strength, natural resources and create more jobs for its citizens.”
Also, speaking, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, said the book launch was apt, given the country’s mass poverty, where 80 million lived below the poverty line, especially in the Northern part of the country.
Akume, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Special Services Office, SGF, Aliyu Shinkafi, was of the opinion that the Hausa version of the book would help Nigerians benefit from the growth and development of China.
