Abuja — National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) said it is working with 40 local government areas in the country to raise at least N12 billion for micro financing to the poor under its Village Solutions programme.

NAPEP is also advocating that every state government should commit at least five percent of their annual budget to economic empowerment and participation programme, including health insurance for the poor, adult literacy, remedial programmes, training and financial empowerment programme.

In a statement issued in Abuja by the Head of Publicity, NAPEP, Mr. Paul Onuoha, the agency noted that Nigeria's success in the fight against poverty would be as a result of the cumulative contribution of all stakeholders.

Noting that no agency could single headedly eradicate poverty, the statement stressed that NAPEP is the apex agency of government in the fight against poverty charged with the mandate to monitor and coordinate all poverty eradication activities in the country and intervene where necessary.

"This implies the duty to ensure that all segments of society are mobilised to play its part in this fight. In exercise of this mandate, NAPEP designs strategies and programmes to which state, local governments and the private sector are encouraged to buy into, adopt and scale up the programmes in their respective constituencies.

"In 2010, National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) is laying more emphasis on encouraging private sector initiatives as a sustainable poverty eradication strategy for poor.

"In 2009, NAPEP succeeded in coordinating and sensitising states and local governments on its Village Economic Development Solutions Programme and other programmes. The Village Economic Development Solutions programme is a community based programme aimed at spurring mass participation in the economic development process through the establishment of anchor economic activities at the grassroots.

"Attached to these anchor activities are capacity widening activities made up mostly of grassroots farmers and producers whose outputs feed the Anchor activities.

"Using this strategy, the Village Solutions assures a ready market for the goods and services of the poor (Capacity Widening activities) at the grassroots, " the statement said.