Millions of Nigerians are extremely poor – Osinbajo says

Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has admitted that millions of Nigerians are living in extreme poverty.

Osinbajo made the admittance at the closing of the two-day executive-legislative leadership retreat held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said elected leaders would be irresponsible if they don’t collaborate and find solutions to what he termed the nation’s ”life-threatening problems.”

The vice president also stated that members of the executive and legislative arms of government have no choice than to collaborate in order not to fail Nigerians who have given them the opportunity to serve at the high leadership levels they currently occupy.

He said, “Let me say that every generation of leadership must understand context. Law itself must be interpreted and implemented in context.

“What is the reality of the context that we operate in today? We all know, our nation has millions of extremely poor people, the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened employment and poverty.

“We have huge deficits in infrastructure, many children are out of school. If that is our context, we will be callous and irresponsible if we don’t come together, work together to sort out these grave life-threatening problems our people have to confront every day.”

The VP added, “It is time to focus on what we have been elected or appointed to do. This is the welfare of our people. The law and practice as between parliament and executive is a means to an end not an end to itself. The means must not jeopardise the end.

“Our people just want food on their table, shelter over their heads, clothing on their bodies, healthcare and education for their children and themselves.

“So, the good legislature or good minister is not the one who is waving the law, and procedure, and doctrines, it is the one who says the spirit of our Constitution is that we secure the maximum welfare, freedom, and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity.

“The good legislator or minister is the one who will do all in his or her power to serve the needs of our people, even if it means walking the fine lines, as Hon Wudil said between the law and reality.”