“We’ve Lifted Nigerians Out Of Poverty” – Buhari Presidency

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said yesterday that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration had lifted millions of Nigerians out of poverty in the last three years.

He was apparently reacting to a statement by British Prime Minister Theresa May that Nigeria had the largest population of poor people.

Osinbajo said in the same period, the administration laid a solid foundation for a resilient and competitive economy, provided infrastructure and opened space for private investment to accelerate growth and development through the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) initiative.

The vice-president, who spoke in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at the 17th Joint Planning Board and National Council on Development Planning (NCPD), identified “social investment initiatives” as the vehicles used to pull Nigerians, in their millions, away from the poverty trap.

He was represented by the Minister of Budget and Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma.

Osinbajo said the government would invest in Nigerians and give them a better life, adding: “Billions of naira have been committed to tackling infrastructural deficiencies, while resources are being utilised and projects prioritised to ensure transformation of the country.”

Speaking on the NCPD meeting with the theme: “Accelerating the implementation of the Economy Recovery and Growth Plan: The Role of Stakeholders,” he noted that the Federal Government was committed to ensuring that it delivered on the objectives and targets of ERG