The Poor Economics Approach (Part 1) Okon is a child who needs to undergo a surgical operation to remove a rare case of worms blocking his intestine, he also suffers from nausea, diarrhea, weakness, abdominal pain and has seriously emaciated, and doctors say other possible complications may include have affected his eyes, liver, heart and brain. A child who suffers such scenario as described above is likely to end up with serious medical complications all his life and unable to compete at the same level with his peers in the larger society. A near certain route to a life of poverty and trauma, simply because government failed in a simple responsibility to guarantee a N300-N500 Mebendazole or Albendazole routine deworning tablet treatment every 6months of the child’s life. Then imagine the emotional trauma and the financial implications of supporting this child all his life and in addition what his siblings will be deprived off, due to the cost of special-care for Okon, the list goes on. The Maternal & Child Healthcare Week of the National Primary Health-Care Development Agency(NPHCDA) program includes such program as deworming for children; the question is how many children in our public schools are routinely dewormed? In our dream Akwa Ibom under me, our House of Assembly will legislate and pass into law, that all children in private or public schools and even those not of school age in Akwa Ibom will receive routine deworming in June/December every year, never again will we miss an opportunity to banish poverty be lost. Poverty for us means Poverty is not only a lack of money or income, but also of 1. Poor Healthcare- many under 5years children die every year of preventable disease 2. Poor Education- many children enrolled in school cannot read or pass English and Maths, how then going to produce Administrators, Engineers, Scientist, and Doctors etc. 3. Poor Quality of life – Many of our people and their children spend hours fetching water and struggling to make ends meet, instead of playing, relaxing, working or studying. 4. Difficulty in achieving one’s ambition in life We have ahead of us a huge task to eradicate poverty in Akwa Ibom and indeed Nigeria, but together we are up to the task. From Healthcare to Education, Economic and Social well-being, Employment, Industrialization, Rural development etc. such scenarios exist, and we will tackle each one with a well thought-out, simple and sustainable step-by-step practical approach, building on each step until we reach the desired goal. Finally I will like to acknowledge the work of Prof. Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo whose book “Poor Economics” without which this piece will be incomplete; this has inspired my approach to governance. As they say we never stop learning even with the wealth of experience I have both in the public and private sector, I continue to learn and remain open to every opportunities learn. I invite you to read the book “Poor Economics”.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 13:56:11 +0000
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