Fight poverty like Boko Haram, Saraki urges Federal government

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, yesterday urged the federal government to employ the same strategy used in fighting Boko Haram insurgency to fight poverty in the country. Delivering a speech to mark the first session of the eighth Senate, he said while the government had made progress in the fight against Boko Haram and corruption, the fight against mass poverty remained a daunting challenge. “Rising cost of living, increased cases of retrenchment and corresponding rise in unemployment, inability of state governors to pay salaries and upsurge in ethnic-based agitation potentially deny government the full credit of the great strides it has made in other areas “The same energy that has been invested in fighting corruption and Boko Haram must be invested in taking care of the people, in making life easier and better for them. We need to begin to assure Nigerians that the sacrifice that they make today will not be in vain. We need to begin to show them that there would be light at the end of the dark tunnel. So we must not relent in our efforts in this area over the next years ahead, “he said. Saraki urged the Niger Delta Avengers who are destroying oil installations  to embrace democratic institutions and channel their grievances through appropriate quarters. “In the same vein, we also encourage government to adopt dialogue and engagement as a more lasting option towards resolving this challenge. We also call on the leaders in the area to play their part and ensure through mediation that this menace is comprehensively quelled, “he said. He said Nigerians must see the senate as the place to run to when they feel treated unjustly. On the controversies that trailed his emergence, he said,” One year ago, this Senate appeared irreparably divided against itself. Today, we have overcome that division and we are able to work with greater unity and fraternity. I want to commend everyone of us for this, “he said.