A former member of the House of Representatives, Robinson Uwak, has called for a more sustainable approach to tackle the country’s increasing rate of poverty and insecurity.

Mr Uwak, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said the level of poverty and gross inequality threatened national security, stability and unity.

He identified poor data gathering and implementation as reasons poverty alleviation programmes had failed in Nigeria.

“Poverty alleviation ought to be treated as a development policy, not a charity project. This is why the programmes are not only ineffective but unsustainable,” he said.

The ex-lawmaker, however, commended President Bola Tinubu for the equitable distribution of resources amidst the government’s dwindling revenue.

He expressed concern over the poor standard of living, huge unemployment, and low wages and called for collective action to tackle the menace.

The World Poverty Clock 2023 Data reported that about 71 million Nigerians were extremely poor, and the National Bureau of Statistics classified 133 million people as multidimensionally poor.

(NAN)