Abuja – The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udoma, says improving the wellbeing and capacity of Nigerians are paramount to the Buhari-led administration
Udoma stated this at the inauguration of the National Human Development Report 2016, published by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), in Abuja on Friday.
“I am happy to launch this report because it resonates with what this administration of President Muhammadu Buhari stands for.
“This administration stands for the welfare, the wellbeing of all Nigerians, and their prosperity. And we will make sure that no Nigerian is left behind”, he said.
According to him, improving the wellbeing and capacity of Nigerians is paramount to the Buhari-led administration. Nigeria’s greatest resource is its people.
“The wealth of Nigeria is in her people. The mineral resources are not its wealth, it is the people.
“So, when we enhance the peoples’ capacity, put them in gainful employment, make them creative, innovative, use technology, and all those things, that is the development that we seek.”
Udoma expressed satisfaction with the report and commended the UNDP for publishing the Human Security and Human Development in Nigeria for the seventh time.
“I note with satisfaction that the report adopts a broad and holistic view of the issue of human security and its linkage to human development.
“From the report, it is clear that human security in Nigeria is mainly constrained by threats of economic access, high unemployment rates, and low perception of job security.
He said report laid a strong foundation for addressing poverty, reducing unemployment and inequalities.
“It also laid strong foundation for rebuilding communities and regions that have been adversely affected by insecurity.
“The report also calls for commitment in ensuring equitable public investments and development across the country,” he said.
UNDP’s Resident Representative, Ms Fatma Samoura, charged the Federal Government to ensure that human security and human development go hand-in-hand.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the report highlighted the existing gap in human security across the geo-political zones of the country.
It showed that the most human-secure geo-political zone is the South-East while the North-West and the North-East geopolitical zones are the least human-security secured.
It also showed that residents of the Federal Capital Territory are the worst in most realms of the Human Security Index.
The North-East geo-political zone of the country remained the least developed part of the country, according to the report. (NAN)