Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
Nigeria: The World’s Poverty Capital
In late June 2018, it was confirmed by the World Poverty Clock that Nigerian had moved up one place (overtaking India in the process) to have the most people living in extreme poverty in the world.
It is hard to imagine why poverty remains extremely significant in Nigeria despite all the economic growth the nation has experienced over time. Most individuals would agree that it is indeed alarming and unacceptable for a country with massive wealth and plenty of natural resources like Nigeria to ever need to battle poverty.
The reality Nigerians have is that extreme poverty in the country is increasing by nearly six people every minute, and at such rate, it is estimated that by 2030, the percentage of Nigeria’s population living in extreme poverty will increase from 44.2% to 45.5%. This would amount to about a total of 120 million Nigerians suffering from extreme poverty. It is easy for Nigerians to blame the Buhari-led administration for the economic misfortunes that has befallen the country in recent years – times when the nation had to go through difficult periods like the economic recession of 2016/2017. You probably would think they have every right to blame the country’s government when you begin to hear stories of hardships from different Nigerians.
To be fair to the government, many organizations and programmes have been set up from in the recent decades from different governments that had been in power. From the National Accelerated Food Production Programme and the Nigerian Agricultural and Co-Operative Bank established in 1972, down to the Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure ( DFRRI) in 1986 to the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) of 2001.
All these bodies were formed with the purpose of alleviating poverty and improving the standard of living of Nigerians living in the country. Yet, little or nothing seems to be done to the situation. It is definitely worse than it has ever been for the country and strategic and innovative plans must be put in place to improve her condition.
The way around for the country could be to create more employment opportunities and establish more skill-earning programmes to encourage entrepreneurship among youths. The country can also look into other sectors that can create wealth such as Agriculture and Travel and Tourism instead of being always reliant on the petroleum and gas sector.
Sources:
Sahara Reporters
worldpoverty.io
Introduce Yourself (Example Post)
This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.
You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.
Why do this?
- Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
- Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.
The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.
To help you get started, here are a few questions:
- Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
- What topics do you think you’ll write about?
- Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
- If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?
You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.
Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.
When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.
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