Thisday:Poverty Level Now 50%, Says NAPEP
National Poverty Alleviation Programme (NAPEP) said yesterday that poverty level in the country is currently at 50 per cent, falling from 54.4 per cent in 2004.
Senior Special Assistant to the President and National Coordinator of NAPEP, Dr Magnus Kpakol, who disclosed this yesterday in Abuja, at the meeting of National Coordinator and Chairmen of State Joint Implementation Committee, NAPEP State Coordinators and Secretaries, said the Federal Government had been able to reduce poverty level drastically from 70 per cent in 1999, when the country returned to democratic rule.
The meeting, also attended by commissioners, special advisers and chief executives in charge of poverty alleviation, as well as field officers of NAPEP, was part of government efforts to continue to review and strengthen implementation of NAPEP Village Solutions programme across the country.
The officials agreed to commence the process of verification and evaluation of the components of the programme at the village level.
Kpakol said NAPEP was depending on the hardwork, dedication and transparency of the Joint Imp;ementation Committees to realise the objective of the Village Solutions programme in the states.
The Village Solutions and the COPE (In Care Of the People) programmes, he said, would be vigorously pursued to ensure that they were fully understood and implemented assiduously for the benenfit of the poor in the country.
