This document outlines a proposed national development plan called the Igala National Development Plan to address poverty in Igala land, located in Nigeria. It defines poverty and identifies its main causes as lack of access to resources like shelter, clean water, food, healthcare, and employment. It then describes the Igala economy and compares development indicators between Igala land and other African nations. The plan proposes solutions like good governance, addressing income and unemployment, improving education, and promoting economic growth. It calls for producing a blueprint to develop Igala land according to 21st century standards within a set timeframe, covering areas like agriculture, education, infrastructure, and politics.

1. IGALA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PLAN AS A SOLUTION TO POVERTY
BY
SAMSON AMEH OPALUWAH

2. POVERTY
• Poverty is a state or condition in
which a person or community lacks
the financial resources and essentials
for a minimum standard of living.
Poverty means that the income level
from employment is so low that basic
human needs cannot be met.
• Poverty is the state of not having
enough material possessions or
income for a person's basic needs.
• However, relative poverty measures
when a person cannot meet a
minimum level of living standards,
compared to others at the same time
and place.

3. A. POVERTY CAN BE CAUSED BY ONE OR
A COMBINATION OF THE FOLLOWING:
1. Lack of shelter
[home or housing]
2. Lack of access to
clean water
3. Food insecurity
4. Physical disability
5. Lack of access to
healthcare
6. Unemployment
7. Absence of social
services
8. Gender
discrimination
9. Insecurity
10. Poor infrastructure
11. Government
corruption
12. Environmental
Circumstances
13. Lack of focused
leadership
14. Lack of values
15. Illiteracy
16. Lack of
participatory
government

4. POVERTY
• Poverty is not just caused by
individual circumstances but by major
inequalities built into the structure of
the society. Some of the main causes
of this inequality and poverty are
access to work, income, education,
housing, health, and services.
• A low income is a major cause of
poverty. If you are earning a low
income, you will not be able to save
money and invest it to increase your
wealth. Moreover, in countries with a
quite low income, people will often
not be able to provide for basic needs
like enough food or for the treatment
of diseases.

5. B. THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF
POVERTY:
1. Absolute poverty
2. Relative Poverty
3. Situational Poverty
4. Generational Poverty
5. Rural Poverty
6. Urban Poverty.

6. C. INDICATIONS OF THE EXISTENCE OF
POVERTY
1. Poor infrastructure
2. Unemployment
3. Malnutrition
4. High infant mortality
5. High maternal mortality
6. Domestic violence
7. Child labour
8. Disease and want
9. Corruption at all levels
10. Poor education
11. Insecurity & Violence
12. Moral decadence
13. Low life expectancy

7. • The world poverty clock indicates
that as 14th October, 2021, using a
threshold of $1.90 [N1,000], 3.5
Nigerians slide into poverty every
minute while only 0.3 escape. It has
also been found out that 64% of rural
dwellers are poor as against 41% in
the urban centers. Please note that
Igala land is largely considered rural
and thus the statistics will certainly
be grimmer.
• It is also, instructive to note that
poverty has a direct relationship with
crime in any society. The challenge of
insecurity can therefore be
understood with this causative factor.
POVERTY CLOCK

8. THE IGALA NATIONAL ECONOMY
• Agricultural products
(cotton, oil & palm
kernel)
• Mineral/petroleum
deposits
• Food crops
• Land tenure system
• Population
• Social belief system

9. THE IGALA NATIONAL ECONOMY
• Geographically, the area
enjoys contiguous landscape
and topography.
• The entire area is watered by
two great rivers, Niger and
Benue with other smaller
tributaries.
• These two rivers are
important means of
transportation and fishing
industry for the people.

10. COMPARISON OF IGALA-LAND WITH
OTHER AFRICAN/OTHER COUNTRIES
Igala-land
(Africa)
Comoros
(Africa)
Lesotho
(Africa)
Guinea
Bissau
(Africa)
Seychelles
(Africa)
2,000,000 817,324 2,159,013 2,015,312 98,907
Mauritius
(Africa)
Cyprus
(Europe)
Slovenia
(Europe)
Equatorial
Guinea
(Africa)
Belize
(Central
America)
1, 273,427 1,215,552 2,078,724 1,449,718 404,886
Why are then poor? We need to change the paradigm!

11. D. SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS
POVERTY:
1. Provide good governance
2. Address income
3. Provide functional and
quality education
4. Improve the investment
climate
5. Address unemployment in
totality
6. Promote economic growth

12. E. ACTION PLANS TO ACCOMPLISH THE
SOLUTIONS WITHIN THE SHORTEST
POSSIBLE TIME:
1. Do what works
2. Use existing resources
efficiently and effectively
3. Co-ordinate stakeholders’
capacities
4. Focus on people &
5. Measure results
frequently
6. Review as necessary

13. F. HOW TO BEGIN
• Produce a BLUEPRINT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
IGALA NATION – This will articulate a wholistic roadmap for
transforming the Igala nation into the developed society by
twenty-first century standards within a specified time.

14. THE BLUEPRINT WILL ADDRESS
• Agriculture
• Education
• Health & social
welfare
• Commerce
• Industry, mines &
exploration
• Social Engineering
• Traditional
Institutions &
Culture
• Security & social
protection
• Infrastructure
• Power
• Housing & urban
development
• Politics &
governance
• Igala in diaspora
• Others etc.
• This will be our personal, group and national
agenda for the good of all of us and even others
who interact with us. We can do it if we put our
mind to it.

15. IGALA LAND IN THE 21ST CENTURY
This is what the Igala Strategy Team[IST] has
offered to unite us to do for the sake of posterity
and the future generations yet unborn.

16. THANK YOU

17. a production of
SAMSON AMEH OPALUWAH
No 1 Agukele Street,
Ede Adejo, Idah, Kogi State, Nigeria.
14th October 2021