Taiwo Olawale
14 September 2008
analysis
Lagos — About a year ago, the Sule Lamido-led government of Jigawa state made history when it signed the first ever social security bill into law.
That September afternoon in 2007, thousands gathered at the Kam Salem Parade ground (now Aminu Kano Square , named after the late defender of talakawa) in Dutse to witness the signing of the bill by the Governor. Speaking at the gathering, an emotional Sarkin Makafin Kazaure (Chief of the Blind in Kazaure), Alhaji Abdullahi Ahmed, captured the situation aptly when he said the lowest of the low in the society stood before the high and mighty to make history.
Then, Ahmed had declared , "Today, we are in the midst of our leaders. We stand before our traditional leaders and the political leaders of the country and we are the reason for this all important gathering. This is almost unbelievable. Before now, we dared not stand before our leaders like this. We only hear them from afar. But today, history is being made and we are part of the very important history."
One year after that epoch making event, the state is again seeking history as it prepares to host the poor in a summit aimed at giving them a voice and finding a lasting solution to their collective plight. At last year's event, the physically challenged had the opportunity to show gratitude for getting government attention in a practical way. This year, the government is going a step further by organising a summit which would give them and all other poor people in the state, an opportunity to demand action to make their lives better. That summit is expected to coincide with this year's "Stand up Against Poverty" day. But what is the summit expected to achieve? Who would attend and how would the outcome impact on the lives of the people?
As the story goes, the idea of convoking the poor had original emerged just a few days after Governor Lamido was elected. Then, while preparing to take over from Saminu Turaki , the Governor-elect's think tank had met to fine tune the emerging regime's programmes. And, according to a source close to the meetings, one of the recurring issues was how best to tackle the "historical nightmares of the talakawa." It was at one of such meetings that the question was popped by the Governor-elect: "What does the poor really want?
The question was said to have been asked against the backdrop of the fact that even when issues concerning the poor are being discussed, they are discussed by civil servants, technocrats, governments and the organised private sector. These groups which have little or no real practical experiences of poverty then churn out policies to tackle poverty. But over the years, most of these policies have done very little to stem the tide of poverty. It was the frustrating lack of tangible progress that prompted the then Governor-elect's question. He was said to have wondered whether the limited success in the fight against poverty is not due to the fact that nobody is asking the poor what should be done to rescue them from the pangs of poverty.
The in-coming administration was said to have decided to ask the poor that simple question at that moment. But a combination of factors which included planning, logistics and the realities of governance delayed the convocation of the poor. Now, preparations are in top gear to host what may be the first ever Talakawa Economic Summit in the country. A three- man committee saddled with contacts and logistics was set up by the government last month to coordinate the pre-summit organisation. The committee has made remarkable progress in the little time it has existed by reaching out to United Nations agencies and other international groups that deal with poverty. Led by Dahiru Dau, the Special Adviser to the Governor on NGOs, the committee has also reached out to coalitions of Campaign for Democracy Development, CDDs, NGOs and experts on the subject. These organisations and experts are to participate in the summit as partners. According to the conveners, this set would listen to the poor along with the government and help make sense out of the thousands of presentations and materials expected at the gathering. A team of moderators has also been selected to anchor the summit.
So, later this year, the world would witness the first convocation of the poor in the "poor" state of Jigawa. At the end of the summit, the world must learn first hand, what the poor really suffer, and what governments, policy makers, NGOs, international and local organisations as well as experts need to do to help them. The summit's agenda would no doubt play a vital role in helping the world get the correct picture. According to planners of the summit, the bottom-line is to determine the "actual state of existence of the poor" as well as what should be done about it by listening to them.
This seems fair enough. But the question is how do you achieve this objective? The planners say the methodology is to bring the poor together and listen to them. So, who are the poor? If statistics are anything to go by, there are about four million of them in Jigawa alone (according to the CBN which says Jigawa's poverty level is about 90%). And, no venue is big enough to accommodate such a number in the state. So, how would the summit listen to all the poor in the state? The organisers expect to listen to "the symbolic and actual leaders/representatives of the talakawas" to capture the realities of the lives of the poor and get their explanations on "why life is like that for them and what they think should be done and by whom."
In this methodology lies a big problem. While it is natural to take representative opinions in a case like this, some of the opinions may not be correct and honest representations. It is common knowledge that most of these leaders are opportunists who pimp the ordinary members of their various groups to become rich. Many of them have become immune to the sufferings of those they represent because they see them merely as opportunities to make money and score political gains. Pray, how would the Chairman of the Butchers Association who rides a Mercedes Benz and lives in a six bedroom apartment properly represent a poor member who lives in the slum and worships the chairman to remain in employment?
There is hardly a leader or representative of groups which represent shoe shiners, butchers, mai suya, peasant farmers, drivers and petty traders that is not a millionaire. How can a millionaire represent the poor then? Apart from this, most of these so-called leaders are also politicians. In fact, many use their positions as bargaining tools with governments. And, as politicians, if they speak at the summit, they would fall upon themselves to say things that would please the government. To this set of "representatives", the poor may as well go to hell.
Therefore, if the summit would be successful at all, leaders of peasant groups cannot be asked to speak for the poor. The poor must speak for the poor. Selecting representatives of the poor should not be difficult in spite of the fact that there are millions of them. Random selection is not a bad option. A two minute visit to Dutse abattoir would surely reveal scores of poor people eeking a living from the physical and social challenges of their chores. The same can be done with shoe shiners and other petty traders. And the selection must be free from the influence of the leaders of these groups.
Another option may be the use of government statistics. The state government has comprehensive statistics of the physically challenged in its Ministry of Health and Social Welfare just as the Department of Guidance and Counselling has that of the poorest of the poor under its Conditional Cash Transfer programme. Some of these people could be included on the list.
In selecting the poor this way, the organisers may be as close as possible to getting correct feedback. The question must however be asked as to who a poor person is. Care must be taken to avoid straight-jacketing. Identifying the poor only based on class or profession may be inadequate in some cases. Just as some have pointed out that leaders of grou[ Home ] [ Contents ] [ Archives ] [ Contact Us ] [ Off Topic ] [ Courts/Police Log ] [ Street talk ] [ Society ] [ Street Talk ] [ Breaking Barriers ] [ Meditation ]ps may not be strictly classified as poor, there would be other exceptions in each of the classes. So, the poor must be properly and unambiguously identified. There are several known measurements for poverty. The organisers must spell out their criteria for selecting the poor and make them public long before the summit. This way, the organisers would be properly guided and observers would know what to look out for.
Then, there must be a gradual but systematic build up to inform the talakawa ahead of the summit to avoid making it an esoteric academic exercise. Apart from jingles and debates in the media, there must be carefully planned pre-summit events to keep it in the consciousness of the masses for which it is planned. This would even serve as a notice to the people and enable them prepare their positions ahead of the summit.
The duration of the summit is also a subject of debate. As at today, it is planned as a two-day summit. But many argue that two days are grossly inadequate. One concerned citizen wondered how the government intends to listen to a problem that is as old as mankind and make any sense of it in just two days. "You know the way we work in this country. There would be an opening ceremony as well as a closing ceremony. Day one would be for opening. And, from experience, very little else would happen that day. Then, on the second day, time must be allowed for resource persons to summarise proceedings and for the closing ceremony to hold. So, the main technical sessions would be short", the observer argued.
Going by opinions of many, a four- day summit would achieve more. Some even suggest that apart from dedicating one full day to listening to the poor, there should be another day for visiting the very poor in their communities. One of those who believe this should be done explained that such visits would reveal more than just staying in a fancy auditorium to listen to the poor. Saude J Garba, an NGO organizer, explained that visiting the poor would give "life" to the exercise.
"No matter how poor a man is, he would not attend the summit in rags. He would go in his best clothes because he would not want to put himself or family to shame in spite of his condition. But, when you visit communities, you see the people and their deprivation first hand. When you interview them, what they say sinks faster", Garba argued.
The suggestions are not only about how to go about organising the summit though. There are also questions about what would be discussed. Though there would be moderators to steer the discussions, there must be a broad agenda that must be specified before the summit begins. So, what should be on the agenda? The organisers say it is mainly to listen to the poor and make sense of their problems and suggested solutions. But does it mean they are free to say anything that catches their fancy? No doubt, the issue of corruption and what to do about it must be on the agenda. But, would it be alright, for example to climb the podium and abuse all governments from independence to date and go home? Will simple family stories and testimonies be productive and acceptable? What exactly does the summit want to hear? This must be spelt out to save time and efforts. This is the more reason why some believe pre-summit events are important.
And, sampling what the poor really want ahead of the summit may not be a bad idea either. Their opinions would only corroborate those of the "lucky ones" that would attend the summit. And where the pre-summit opinions are different from those at the summit, they could be added up. To help the organisers set their agenda correctly, THISDAY spoke with some men and women on the streets. Their fears and agitations seem to tally with the World Bank Poverty web's definition of poverty.
For many of them, poverty is hunger. It is lack of shelter. It is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. It is, like the World Bank says, "not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom."
This is almost certainly what the organisers would hear from participants. So, the organisers must also be prepared to find solutions to these fears. After the summit, the government and its partners must meet again and discuss how to meet the expectations of the poor. And, such a meeting must avoid the mistakes of the past. It must genuinely try to give the poor what they ask for at the summit and not just try to, in the words of Comrade Kayode Komolafe, "parrot theories of economic efficiency."
There would be those who have become so vulnerable that they can only be rescued through a comprehensive social security scheme. The provision of basic amenities like electricity and water would help some raise their heads above the slimy waters of deprivation. In some cases, comprehensive people -friendly housing and transportation programmes would do the magic. The needs may just be as diverse as the participants. But the government and its partners must patiently go through them and be willing to consider them. Publishing the voices and views of the poor is no doubt a good way to round off the summit. It would, as the organisers rightly noted, serve as a good basis for the review of the state's social security policy. But the government must lead the way in meeting expectations expressed by the poor at the summit. It is only with such serious commitment that interventions from donor agencies and groups would be meaningful.
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