Public outrage has greeted a statement by Habu James Philip, the Taraba State Commissioner for Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation, after he was captured on a live television programme vowing to “sustain poverty” in the state.
The controversial remark was made at a forum in China, where the commissioner claimed to have “learned new methods of sustaining poverty.”
The video of his pronouncement, which went viral on social media, has drawn sharp criticisms from residents of Taraba State, who are grappling with the rising cost of living and other associated economic challenges with many demanding the immediate removal of the commissioner.
“This is an embarrassment to the entire state. How can a government official, whose job is to alleviate poverty, proudly declare that he will sustain it?” asked Suleiman Usman, a civil servant in Jalingo.
“This is not only shameful but a direct attack on the people suffering under the current economic hardship,” he added.
Miriam Aboki, a market trader in Wukari, expressed frustration over the statement. “We are already struggling to make ends meet. The cost of food and basic necessities has skyrocketed. For someone in his position to speak like this and in China, a country that has been helping us with loans shows how disconnected this commissioner is from the reality on the ground. He needs to be removed from his office immediately.”
