Issues
Human Capital Development …Panacea For Poverty Reduction In Nigeria
Experts have over time emphasised the relationship between Human Capital Development (HCD), poverty reduction and good standard of living. They view human capital development in the light of increasing the number of persons who have skills, education and experience that are required for the economic growth and development of a nation. They also view it as a people -focused plan of action aimed at providing knowledge, skills and productivity for the development of a nation. The World Bank in its publication, “The-Human-Capital-Project-in-Sub-Saharan-Africa-Stories-of-Progress”, states that “Human capital, which is the sum of a population’s health, skills, knowledge, and experience, accounts for the largest share of countries’ wealth globally. “It allows everyone to reach their full potential and is increasingly becoming recognised as a primary driver of a nation’s economic growth.”
The World Bank in analysing how countries have fared with regard to HCD, stated that based on a new index, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa saw major reductions in under-five mortality between 1990 and 2015. It however, stated that “the number of children who die under the age of five mostly from avoidable causes such as complications related to respiratory infections, diarrhea, or malaria, is still high at about 2.9 million every year. “Countries such as Somalia, Chad, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, Mali, and Nigeria have child mortality rate above 100 deaths per 1,000 live births, one of the highest in the world.” Also, according to the World Bank, Nigeria ranked 152 in the 2018 Human Capital Index (HCI). In furtherance of Nigeria’s poor rating, the World Bank 2020 HCI indicates that, “a child born in Nigeria just before the pandemic will be 36 per cent as productive when she grows up as she could be if she enjoyed complete education and full health.
“This is lower than the average for the Sub-Saharan African region (40 per cent) and Lower Middle Income countries (48 per cent).
Nigeria’s poor rating is corroborated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), global data on out-of-school children, which indicated in 2022 that Nigeria has about 20 million out-of-school children. In the same vein, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said a new global maternal mortality report showed that 82,000 women in Nigeria die from pregnancy and childbirth-related cases annually. Part of the fallout of the Nigeria’s poor Human Capital Index unfortunately is the current surge in human capital export popularly called “Japa”, which has led to huge manpower gap in various sectors of the Nigerian economy. This capital export, which has seen doctors, nurses, teachers and other professionals leaving the shores of the country in droves, has also led to shortage of skilled manpower. This development has further affected critical sectors of the economy that are key to measuring the level of human capital development like the health and education sectors.
To find lasting solution to the problem of poor HCI, the World Development Report (WDR) 2019 stated that “investing in human capital must be a priority for governments in order for workers to build the skills in demand in the labour market. It further stated that, “governments need to enhance social protection and extend it to all people in society irrespective of the terms on which they work.” To fund these investments in human capital and social protection, the report offers some suggestions as to how governments can mobilise additional revenues by increasing tax base. In view of this reality and as part of efforts to change the narrative, the National Economic Council in March 2018, inaugurated the Human Capital Development (HCD) Programme in Nigeria. The programme is designed in recognition of the critical role human capital development plays in addressing poverty and ensuring sustainable economic growth. It is also aimed at increasing investments in the Nigerian people, thereby improving Nigeria’s human capital development indices.
The immediate past Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, at a Peer Review meeting recently held for HCD State Focal Persons under the programme, said, Nigeria must accord attention to HCD to drive the desired economic growth. He emphasised that human capital development plays a critical role in addressing poverty and ensuring participatory and sustainable economic growth. The former vice president urged the focal persons not to relent in sensitising state governments to ensure the impacts of the programme were felt at the grassroots. “We have since inception made tremendous strides in the implementation of the programme at the national and sub national levels. “Notable achievements included the inauguration of the national HCD strategy, constitution of state HCD councils and technical working groups. “Others are the development of national HCD communication strategy and the organisation of regional HCD conferences as well as strategic partnerships and alliances being forged across several stakeholders’ groups,’’ he said. Osinbajo expressed optimism that the successes achieved so far would provide the needed confidence in implementing the third phase of the programme successfully.
“As we begin the third phase of the programme implementation, the objectives of this programme will be met and the 2030 HCD target will be achieved in all, across the three thematic areas (level of education, standard of living and health of humans).“This phase is crucial to national success as it would be taking HCD to the grassroots where change is most needed and advocacy critical in where the programme is adopted,’’ he said. Osinbajo said that the third phase includes the inauguration of the community-based demonstration of the HCD programme in its simplest form. He said that successes recorded could be replicated across various communities in each local government area across Nigeria. Also speaking, the Coordinator, Core Working Group, HCD in Nigeria, Ms. Yosola Akinbi, said that critical areas of the implementation and management of the programme must happen at the grassroots. While noting that HCD was the software of any development, Akinbi said “we must build a country where the skills will be retained.”
In the same vein, some of the focal persons during their state presentations, said that the core of the HCD drive was the empowerment of youths to have the capacity and skills needed in creating or seeking employment. A participant from Akwa Ibom, Mr. Isaac Uduak, narrated how Akwa Ibom State Government under the former governor, Emmanuel Udom, took labour force participation seriously through its industrialisation policy that leveraged a Public Private Partnership (PPP) to revolutionise industries in Africa. “The average Nigerian will agree that policy formulation has never been a problem, implementation is usually the challenge. “The administration of Governor Emmanuel Udom understood this and went beyond mere policy implementation to ensuring the effective execution of its industrialisation policies in creating wealth for its people,’’ Uduak said.
The Nasarawa State Focal Person, Mrs. Habiba Suleiman, said that the programme in the state was concentrating on youth development. According to her, the Nasarawa State Government through the HCD Office with OXFAM in Nigeria as funding partners had trained youths in courses such as Team Building, Work Ethics and Business Model Canvas. “Others are Problem Solving, Presentation Skills, Telephone Etiquette, Customer Service among others,’’ she said.
In the account of the Adamawa State delegate, Mr. Amos Nuhu, the state under the programme built the capacity of 1, 000 health workers while improving the utilisation of child health and nutrition. “In addition, we have 10 skills acquisition centres and we are providing technical knowledge to improve efficiency for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in shoes and bags making. “More so, the state has its priorities in education through training and retraining of teachers as well as operating free education at the basic level,’’ Nuhu said.
Meanwhile, working in line with the vision to develop human capital in the country, the immediate past governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, had also pledged the state’s commitment to developing the human capital crucial in the growth of industries. He said, “we will work with the entire Nigeria to ensure that we develop the human capital which is needed for the growth of industries. Analysts have opined that the new leadership of the states and the nation should give prior attention to the issue of Human Capital Development, take the works of their predecessors in this regard to higher level and initiate some projects and programmes, where they are lacking, so that more Nigerians will be equipped to contribute to the development of their states and the country at large.
They said that leaders across the three tiers of government should play down on amassing public funds for themselves and generations yet unborn and rather use these monies to rebuild the various sectors of the nation’s economy so that Nigeria will be a better place to live in.
By: Calista Ezeaku
This is an open letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Your Excellency,
Sir, ordinarily, I would not be writing an open letter to you, but like a wise man once said, “Silence would be Treason.” So I prefer to stay alive than face the consequences of silence in the face of crime. With each passing day, and as the socio-political tides continue to turn, it has become more pertinent that more people speak up in a concerted MANNER to prevent the death of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as we appear to be, in the words of W. B. Yeats, “turning and turning in the widening gyre” heading for an end where the falcon will no longer hear the falconer
It is unfortunate that since losing control of the Federal Government, with the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll in 2015, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has continued on a downward spiral. It is much more painful, that where it is expected that leaders within the party should rise to the challenge and put an end to this decline of our great party, some have instead taken up roles as its undertaker.
It will be hypocritical to claim aloofness to what I believe is your grouse with the PDP and I am not a hypocrite. It will be uncharitable on my part to discountenance the role you have played in strengthening the PDP from 2015 up until the last Presidential primaries of the party. It is my belief that your grouse against certain members of the party who you perceived worked against the party and abandoned it in 2015 and then came around much later to take control of the party, is justified. Also know that your decision to remain in the Party and stifle its progress on the other hand, as a sort of payback, stands condemned. For a man of your pedigree and stature, it is a dishonorable act, highly dishonorable and stands as testimony against all you claim to stand for.
At least, it can be argued that those who you hold this grudge against, abandoned the party completely and did not sit back while actively working to destroy it from within. But what then can be the argument on your own part, seeing that those you are currently working with against your party are the same people who set in motion, and executed surgically, the plans that not only ended our Party’s leadership at the centre, but ended up dislodging the first Niger Deltan to occupy Aso Rock as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Is this not akin to “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face?” That will be worse than folly. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water because we do not like the soap used in bathing the baby. It will be a grave mistake.
Honourable Minister, sir, it is rather unfortunate that of all people, you have also decided to play the role of an undertaker not only for our party, but for our dear Rivers State.
I will like to take you down memory lane a little. Let me remind you of your emergence as Guber candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, against all fairness and justice in 2014. You will remember that despite the reality being that you as an Ikwerre man was poised to replace a fellow Ikwerre man in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in our multiethnic state, Rivers people overwhelmingly stood by you and pushed for your emergence as Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015. I dare say that your popularity in the entire Niger Delta region was at an all-time high at this point.
I want you to understand why you were loved across board leading to your eventual emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015; it was because when it looked like all were against the second term ambitions of the first Niger Delta man to emerge as President of Nigeria, you became not just a pillar but a beacon of resistance by standing for Goodluck Jonathan. Rivers people, as grateful and rewarding as they can be, paid you back by ensuring your electoral victory against the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) led by your predecessor. On your emergence, where there were second term Governors in the region, you, a first term Governor, was seen by the people as not just the leader of the PDP, but the leader of the entire Niger Delta region. You earned it, and no one could dispute it.
In 2019, when your re-election bid was being challenged ferociously, Rivers people once again stood solidly behind you. Many were killed in the process of defending your votes. Do you remember Dr. Ferry Gberegbe that was shot and killed while trying to protect your votes in Khana Local Government Area? There are many more unnamed and unrecognised sons and daughters of Rivers State who sacrificed their lives so that you could emerge as a second term Governor of Rivers State.
In 2022/23, Honourable Minister, you oversaw a party primary across board that saw some candidates imprisoned and internal party democracy jettisoned for your wishes, leading to the emergence of flag bearers of our party all singlehandedly picked by you. You have on more than one occasion publicly stated that you paid for all their forms. Even those shortchanged in this process licked their wounds and continued to play their roles as party members to ensure the success of the party at all levels. In what will go down as one of the most keenly contested elections in recent Rivers history, with formidable candidates like Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the vibrant youth driven Labour Party (LP), PDP emerged victorious across board except for Phalga Constituency 1 that was lost to the Labour Party. (Not that you did not loose in some other LGA’s but let’s stick to the official figures declared by INEC).
It begs the question, why then do you want to burn down Rivers State, when everyone who now holds political office emerged through a process designed and endorsed by you? Is it that you do not care about Rivers people and you are all about yourself? If so, I am forced to believe that those around you are not telling you the truth. The truth being that in a state where your words were law; where houses and businesses could be demolished or closed down without any recourse to legalities, where Executive Orders could be deployed to stifle the opposition, that your popularity is now at an all-time low. Probably because they are afraid of you, or of losing the benefits they gain from you, they fail to tell you that what you might perceive as a battle against your successor, has slowly but gradually degenerating into a battle against Rivers State and Rivers people. You know, there is a popular saying that, a man can cook for the community and the community will finish the food, but when a community decides to cook for one man, the reverse is the case.
LEAVE FUBARA ALONE
You have gone on and on about being betrayed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. You point fingers forgetting that some of those same fingers quick to spot betrayals point straight back at you. It is not Governor Fubara that has betrayed the PDP by working against it in the just concluded General Election, and working with the opposition at the State and Federal level to destabilise the party. It is you, Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that betrayed Rivers people by instigating a political crisis with propensity to escalate ethnic tensions in Rivers State. It is you Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that has declared himself God over all in Rivers State and has no qualms with burning the state to the ground to prove a point. It is you Honourable Minister. It is you Honourable Minister who told the world that the APC was a cancer and you can never support a cancerous party. It is you Honourable Minister who ended up facilitating the emergence of the same “cancerous” APC that has accelerated the economic decline of this country and further impoverished our people with no remorse. All so you can be a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory? The lack of self awareness is gobsmacking.
Some days back I came across a video where you talked about death and how you do not cry when you hear about the death of some people because you have no idea what might have caused it considering many a politician swear “over dead bodies” and still go back on their words. Those words made me think, and I could see the reason behind them. You see, in chosing to be God in the affairs of Rivers people, you have closed your eyes and ears to reason; you see nothing and hear nothing that can cause you to rethink on the path you have chosen. In your quest to “show Fubara” you have unwittingly united a vast majority of Rivers people behind him, so much that even those who despised him because of you, now like or love him, because of you too. In your scheming, I will advise you not to forget that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.
Note that the war which you have or are waging against Governor Fubara, has gone beyond being merely political as you might see in your minds eye. It is now one that, fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, has evolved into a war against Rivers people. It is good to point out that no one has taken a stand against Rivers people and won. No one has gone against God and won. In your defiant characteristic manner, it will be unfortunate if you believe your own hubris and that of those around you on the possibility of you being the first to successfully go against Rivers people. It will be a needless gamble; one where if you win you create more enemies for yourself than you can withstand on your political journey, and if you lose, your legacy becomes an inglorious and irredeemable one in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large. For your sake as regards posterity, it is my greatest wish that you have a moment of sobriety and a deep reflection and introspection on this path you have chosen.
Honourable Minister, sir, what is left of your legacy is on the brink of being completely desecrated and relegated to the dustbin of our political history, and it will be a sad end to what I will say has been a wonderful political career that many can only dream of. The ball is in your court, and may God Almighty have mercy on us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson
Dr Pidomson is former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and former member, Rivers State House of Assembly.
In 2015, I made a conscious decision to invest my financial resources, my time, and energy into supporting Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial campaign. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring Nyesom Wike emerged victorious even at the risk of my personal safety.
Again in 2019, I doubled down on my commitment. I invested a significant amount of money to procure campaign outfits for all twenty-three Local Governments Areas of Rivers State. I spared no expense in supplementing Wike’s election efforts in my own local government, and once again putting myself at great risk to safeguard the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
However, despite my unwavering loyalty and sacrifices, I found myself abandoned and forgotten by Wike. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he failed to acknowledge my contributions or fulfill his promises and agreements. Even as a former Deputy Governor, Wike denied me my severance benefit.
My investment in Wike’s governorship was not just financial – it was a commitment of passion, dedication, and belief in a better future for Rivers State. Yet, his leadership style of dishonesty, greed, drunkenness and rash abuse of senior citizens brought me nothing but disappointment, misery and losses.
By the grace of God, today I speak not as a victim, but as a hero. I have accepted my losses, and I have moved on. And as I reflect on my experience, I cannot help but urge Wike to do the same and allow peace and development to reign in Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike, when you speak of investing in Governor Sim Fubara’s election, remember those like me who also invested in you. Remember the sacrifices I made, the risks I took, and the promises and agreements you left unfulfilled.
It is time for you, Wike, to let go of the past and allow Governor Sim Fubara the breathing space he needs to lead Rivers State forward. Allow him to focus on the challenges of good governance and the aspirations of the people. Spare him these unwarranted and ill-conceived political manoeuvrings founded on personal agenda and not for general good of Rivers State and her people.
I may have lost my investment on Wike, but I have not lost hope in the future of Rivers State. And together, we will continue to strive for a brighter tomorrow.
Long Live the Governor to Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara!
Long Live the Good People of Rivers State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Engr Ikuru is former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
Tele Ikuru
