The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike, has stated that the lingering security crisis in the territory and other parts of the country would be minimized if the nation’s economy is in a good state.
The former Rivers Governor, however, said the Federal Government was currently working to improve the nation’s economy, with a view to addressing poverty, which he claimed is one of the drivers of insecurity.
Wike, who stated this during a media interaction in Abuja on Monday, explained that poverty and the economy were two sides of a coin, just as poverty and criminality were connected.
He said: “You cannot talk about poverty without talking about the economy.
“If the economy is good, it means a lot of things will function well and that will be able to reduce poverty.
“When the economy is working well, there will be a lot of employment creation. When the economy is good, businesses will thrive, and this is what the current government is trying to do.”
He explained that the Federal Government, through its subsidy removal and other economic policies, was working hard to improve the country’s economy which had been in a terrible state for a very long time.
He urged Nigerians to wait patiently, adding that the measures would in the long run, improve the economy as a practical solution to poverty reduction.
While acknowledging the contribution of poverty to the rising insecurity in FCT and the country, the minister stressed that poverty was not peculiar to the FCT alone.