Abuja - August 22 - (Viewpoint Housing News) – The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, yesterday in Abuja, at the unveiling of the Hausa edition of Chinese President, Xi Jinping’s book, ‘Up and Out of Poverty’ identified housing among other key sectors of the economy that can eradicate poverty in the country.
Other sectors he pointed out include education and security. He also said the country must systematically invest in food security.
He said there are many lessons from the book for Nigeria as both countries share several similarities.
The envoy, while noting that the book was written in 1988 and contain the thoughts of the current president on how to eradicate poverty, revealed that it was the book that the president used in eradicating extreme poverty between 2012 -2022.
He stressed that poverty revolves around two basic needs and three guarantees.
“For the basic needs, we have first, food and secondly, clothing. For the three guarantees, we have compulsory education, basic medical care, and safe housing,” he said.
“Nigeria needs to fix the educational sector. The country has a lot of dropouts and we all know that without education, a country cannot move forward.
“Nigeria needs to fix the medical challenges it is facing to eradicate poverty.
“The measures that China took were to boost the economy. The economy is a decisive factor to eliminate poverty. Nigeria needs to rely on its strength, natural resources and create more jobs for its citizens”, he said.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Special Services Office, SGF, Aliyu Shinkafi, said the book launch was apt, given the country’s mass poverty, where 80 million live below poverty, especially in the Northern part of the country.
He said the Hausa version of the book will help Nigerians benefit from the growth and development of China.
“This launch is timely and shows what both countries share in common, he said.
“The book is translated in one of the three major languages so that our population can benefit from China. It is not by chance that the book was put together in Hausa because Nigeria has a population of 200 million about 80 million live below the poverty line especially in the North West and North East”.
