INSIGHTS ON LIFE

The Evil Of Poverty

Lest we forget, in June, 2018, it was officially reported by the American based Brookings Institution that Nigeria overtook India in the poverty index. Nigeria has 87 million people in extreme poverty as against India’s 73 million. This becomes even more frightful when you put India’s poverty population against its huge 1 billion-plus people. Nigeria is just 200 million in population!

There are ten indications the World Bank used as a measurement for a country’s poverty status, all grouped under what is termed “the dimensions of poverty.” The dimensions are Health, Education, and Living Standard, and under these are the following ten indications: nutrition and child mortality; years of schooling and school attendance; and, cooking fuel, sanitation, water, electricity, floor, and assets. Unfortunately, Nigeria falls short against these.

Nigeria is rich, but its people are poor. This is a sad reality when we consider the huge natural and human resources that the country is blessed with. Why is this so? The straight-forward answer is because of the darkness of mind that prevails in the land! Light, and an understanding of how things are done, is absent in the mind of those in control of power, and the people cannot truly hold those in power accountable because they too are in bondage to the darkness of ignorance of how things are to be done for their good.

What is government but an institution created and mandated by the people to wisely and effectively channel all resources within the territory for the benefit of all those inhabiting the same territory for the purpose of survival and preservation? Not only are the natural resources to be used to develop and beatify the land and make it habitable and healthy, but the mental resources of the people must be channeled to the same end! Apart from maintaining rule and order, the government has no other function than to harness the natural and mental resources of the land and its people for the development and wealth of both the people and the land. But what do we have in Nigeria? Poverty, darkness, evil in diverse places! Political power holders sold out completely to the doctrine of greed and selfishness, disregarding the health and survival of fellow humans in the Creation of God.

When you consider the spiritual and mental torment people go through by virtue of their inability to meet their basic needs you will understand how similar poverty is to hell. Their skin are deprived of the nutrients of healthy foods, their minds lack the strength for creative endeavors; they sleep in darkness without constant power supply and deal with all manners of diseases and sickness that result from a poor environment, unclean water, and a lack of vitamins. Poverty restricts them to one position all their lives and makes life uninteresting. To them, life is short, brutish, and cruel.

What the people need is Light, nothing else. Light to see that they walk in abundance. Light to see that they can be healthy and wealthy, at least to an average measure. Light to see that they have the power to make political power holders do what they want done. Light to explore the wealth of their minds and channel it for group survival. Light to come out of the darkness of poverty and enjoy the bliss that the Creator left in store for them in this Creation. Until they receive the light of truth and collectively demand and work for their survival, the evil of poverty will reign.

Victor Negro is based in Lagos. He writes on matters of life and existence as he thinks, preferring a better understanding of common questions.