Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State has called for collaborative efforts towards eradicating poverty in the country.
According to the governor, poverty has no political party, thus politicians must close ranks to fight it.
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“It does not belong to the APC or PDP. It belongs to all of us, so all hands must be on deck to ensure that it is tackled and reduced,” he said.
Tambuwal made the call while receiving the Federal Government Extended Public Works (FGEPW) team that visited him yesterday.
He noted that it was for this reason that the state government set aside N4 billion for distribution to 200,000 indigent citizens in all the local government areas of the state.
He assured the team of his administration’s commitment and support, advising them to consult the state Zakkat and Waqf Endowment Commission (SOZECOM), which has a database of the kind of people they were trying to engage
The governor directed the state ministries for basic education and local government to assist the team in any way possible.
In his remarks, the leader of the team, Dr Ibrahim Muhammad, explained that the programme was designed by the federal government with a view to reducing poverty in the country by selecting 1000 beneficiaries from each local government area.
He said once selected, the beneficiaries would be engaged in public works such as clearing of gutters and other sanitation chores with N20,000 monthly wages.