The organised Labour has suspended the warning strike embarked on Thursday citing the invitation by the Federal Government to a reconvened meeting of the tripartite committee scheduled for 4th and 5th of October, 2018. (more…)
Month: October 2023
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Brazil lifts millions out of poverty with direct cash transfer scheme
By tying cash benefits to health & education, Brazil is breaking the cycle of poverty 12 years and 26,000 people: the biggest basic income experiment yet
Brazil’s conditional cash transfer scheme, Bolsa Familia, has helped 36 million citizens emerge from extreme poverty since 2003. Through Bolsa Familia, the country’s poorest households are given a monthly cash handout of $22 on the condition that children go to school and get regular health check-ups. In the 14 years since it began, the pioneering program has been replicated in some 40 countries across the world, including Mexico, Indonesia, South Africa and Morocco.
Results & Impact
In the ten years since Bolsa Familia was introduced, the percentage of Brazilians living in extreme poverty has halved, from 9.7% to 4.3%. Income inequality has also been reduced by 15%. The scheme has incentivised parents to invest in their children’s future by making health check-ups and regular schooling a requisite for receiving direct cash transfers. Now, children are 10% more likely to attend school if their parents receive Bolsa Familia checks, and expectant mothers are 25% more likely to get health checks.
Key Parties
Brazil’s federal government, World Bank
How
To run Bolsa Familia, the government needs real time data on families living below the poverty line, which proved a challenge as many live in illegal slums, rural areas or on the streets. To determine households’ eligibility, monitor that they meet requirements and deliver benefits, Brazil established Cadastro Unico, a central registry of poor families in Brazil. CadUnico maintains data on each household’s members, income and living space. Most critically, it allows Brazil to accommodate families without a formal, permanent address, which welfare systems in other countries tend to exclude. In place of an official address, families are asked what type of public space they live close to – with options like a nearby avenue or river – and what type of dwelling they inhabit, such as an abandoned lot or shack.
Target Group
Low-income people, city dwellers, rural population, unemployed people
Cost & Value
Bolsa Familia costs 0.5% of Brazil’s GDP to run
Stage
Running since 2003
Hurdles
Some critics say the program creates a culture of dependency in Brazil, and disincentivises low-income people to work. Others say the $22 monthly payments do little to keep the country’s poor above a subsistence level.
Replication
40 governments around the world have introduced their own versions of Bolsa Familia, including Chile, Mexico, Indonesia, South Africa, Turkey and Morocco.
The Story
Brazil aims to break intergenerational cycles of poverty by giving extremely poor families – which tend to exist outside the country’s formal economy – direct payment transfers tied to their children’s health and education.
Bolsa Familia – “family grant” – is a conditional cash transfer scheme that provides a monthly payout of about $22 to 13.8 million low-income households, roughly a quarter of the country’s total population. Since 2003, 36 million Brazilians have been lifted out of poverty, a feat that has been partly attributed to the Bolsa Familia scheme.
The goals of the Bolsa Familia program are to reduce current inequalities, which it does through direct cash transfers, and lift the next generation out of poverty by mandating health and education requirements. Bolsa Familia payments are conditional: families will only receive monthly checks if their children under 17 attend school on a regular basis, are vaccinated by age five and attend regular check-ups until age six. Pregnant women must also visit clinics for pre- and post-natal care.
The allowance is given preferentially to a female head of households through “Citizen Cards” mailed to the family. The cards are issued by Caixa Econômica Federal, a government-owned bank, and operate like debit cards. The funds can be withdrawn in more than 14,000 Caixa locations.
Unlike other benefit schemes, Bolsa Familia does not overlook or purposely exclude families without a formal, permanent address. Brazil’s favelas – slums that are technically illegal – do not have addresses or zip codes, making it difficult for governments to track inhabitants, or deliver benefits to them. Other Bolsa Familia recipients live in the countryside or jungle, or are homeless.
To run Bolsa Familia, Brazil’s central government must register families, get Citizen Cards to them, ensure their eligibility through identification and dwelling information and monitor their follow-through on the program’s health and education requirements. To meet this challenging task, Brazil’s central government established Cadastro Unico (CadUnico), a central registry of poor families in Brazil. CadUnico maintains data on 40% of Brazilian households – some 80 million people.
To determine which families are eligible for Bolsa Familia benefits, CadUnico compiles information on each household’s members, income and living space through household surveys. Most critically, it accommodates unconventional housing arrangements. In place of an official address, families are asked what type of public space they live close to – with options like a nearby avenue or river – and what type of dwelling they inhabit, such as an abandoned lot or shack. These accommodations are categorised as “improvised.”
CadUnico costs 0.6% of Brazil’s GDP to run. Its comprehensive data sets serve as the basis for some 30 social benefits programs.
Bolsa Familia targets households with a yearly per capita income of less than $828. Currently, some 49 million people benefit from the scheme, which was designed in concert with the World Bank. The World Bank has provided the Brazilian government with technical and financial support since the program began.
Through Bolsa Familia, Brazil has incentivised families to invest in their children’s future. Under the scheme, children can only miss 15% of classes. If they skip any more than that, schools notify the government and payments are suspended for the entire family, which has proved a powerful incentive for regular schooling. The Brazilian government says that children are 10% more likely to attend school if their parents receive Bolsa Familia checks. The program has particularly improved education outcomes for girls: the chances of a 15-year-old girl staying in school has increased by 21%. Expectant mothers that receive the benefits checks are also 25% more likely to get health checks. The Brazilian government also estimates Bolsa Familia has led to a decline in child labour.
According to a 2012 University of Minnesota study, the Bolsa Familia project has increased total student enrolment by 6.5% in grades five through eight. The study suggests that improved education outcomes could translate into higher incomes for adults.
When Bolsa Familia was launched, the program was met with a great deal of scepticism. In 2003, Brazil was spending 22% of its GDP on the social sector, including education, health, social protection and social security. The various programs were having little effect on poverty reduction. When the central government introduced Bolsa Familia, Brazilians doubted the program – which was funded by less than 0.5% of the country’s GDP – could have a tangible effect on inequality. But by 2013, Brazil had halved the percentage of the population living in extreme poverty – from 9.7% to 4.3% — and reduced income inequality by 15%.
The redistribution of income to Brazil’s poorest can be attributed to a number of factors. Government policies, such as the introduction of a minimum wage and measures to formalise employment, certainly played a role. Changing demographics, the evolving nature of work and women’s participation in the labour market were also contributing factors. The Brazilian government attributes a third of the fall in income inequality to Bolsa Familia. Others place the figure at 15% to 20%.
The scheme has been a source of contention in the country. Some critics say the program creates a culture of dependency and erodes incentives to work – others say that the monthly payments of just $22 a month barely keep the nation’s poor above a subsistence level.
However, Bolsa Familia is widely viewed as a successful inequality reduction strategy. Some 40 governments around the world have introduced their own versions of the scheme, including Chile, Mexico, Indonesia, South Africa, Turkey and Morocco.
(Photo credit: Flickr/World Bank)
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Para-soccer at 30: Lagos to host Polio Day Championship, says Federation President
Championship
By Abolade Ogundimu
Abuja, Oct. 7, 2018 (NAN) The Para-soccer Federation of Nigeria celebrates 30th anniversary of the Nigeria-invented game with the 6th Para-soccer World Polio Day Championship in Lagos from Oct. 18 to Oct. 24, says Musbau Didi, the federation’s President.Didi made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Abuja.
NAN reports that Oct. 24 has been declared by United Nations (UN) as World Polio Day to remind the world of the danger in Poliomyelitis which affects children from 0-5 years and how to kick it out of the human world.
NAN also reports that Nigeria is almost out of the polio endemic countries list through sustained advocacy and vaccination by the government and donor organisations, especially, Rotary International.
According to Didi, the choice of Lagos for the 2018 edition is to celebrate three decades of para-soccer and to sustain sensitisation of the public across the six geo-political zones on the need to fully kick out polio.
“Survivors of poliomyelitis spread across the country and we are using the championship to achieve our goals.
“We use the annual competition to sensitise the public on the consequences of polio attack on their children.
“Also, to show the world that survivors can still engage in any healthy sport peculiar to them.
“Coincidentally, para-soccer was invented by myself and few other polio survivors in Lagos 30 years ago and it has been gaining popularity till date and hopefully, it will soon become an continental sport.
“It is already being embraced in Ghana and others are still coming, which shows that polio survivors around the world are willing to be united through sports like their able-bodied counterparts,” he said.
On how the game has developed over the last three decades, the federation’s president said it had been continuously evolving.
“In the last 30 years, para-soccer has become a national sport in Nigeria where paraplegic persons in all the states now compete with one another.
“Through our commitment to development of the game, we now have a national league like any other sport in the world.
“Also, we now have zonal leagues which makes it possible to engage our athletes as professional players, many of whom are now being employed by state governments because they are good players.
“Para-soccer is just being included in the National Sports Festival (NSF) for the fourth time which is one of the requirements for it’s inclusion as a continental sport.
“I thank Solomon Dalung, Minister of Youths and Sports Development, for considering our inclusion, and I also thank the Permanent Secretary of the ministry,” he said.
However, Didi lamented the challenges of the sport, saying appropriate funding and national support would greatly help in surmounting them.
“We are yet to get sponsors for the game and that is seriously hindering our efforts to take the game to continental level.
“There are many corporate organisations in the country, they should help to elevate para-soccer to global heights, government funding alone cannot help in achieving that.
“We have wonderful players that can show the beauty of the game to the whole world for subsequent adoption and inclusion into continental and global sports.
“Ghana recently adopted the game and it has got sponsors who are fully funding the game to the extent of having lots of competitions in and outside their country,” he said.
NAN reports that the 2018 edition of the national league was postponed till 2019 due to paucity of funds.
However, Didi said International Federation of Skate Soccer (IFSS), an NGO based in Ghana should rather collaborate instead of trying to reinvent the wheel in invention of para-soccer.
“Ghana needs to collaborate with Nigeria and ensure that the name given to the game remains unchanged.
“Changing rules of the game should be in agreement with Nigeria as the founder and not unilaterally by another country.
“We founded the game 30 years ago and we have been nurturing it since then before they saw us and adopted it,” he said.
PFN boss promised to resolve the issue of para-soccer’s continental adoption with IFSS but if it refused to yield, it would be resolved through Nigeria-Ghana bilateral relations.
Binatone, an electrical appliances manufacturers fully sponsors the game in Ghana, while Nigeria has yet to get sponsors.
NAN also reports that a recent CNN documentary on the game in Ghana acknowledged it emanated from Nigeria. (NAN)
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Nigeria @ 58: Why Buhari should not preside over celebration -PDP
As the nation celebrates its 58th independence anniversary on Monday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday stated why President Muhammadu Buhari should not preside over the independence celebration. (more…)
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Thugs kill Imo council chairman’s aide
One of the aides of the chairman of Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State , Chinonso Solomon , has been murdered by suspected political thugs after a governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state .
Our correspondent learnt that Solomon , 28 , was killed on Tuesday in the presence of his wife in Amaraku , a community in the Isiala Mbano LGA of the State.Multiple sources told our correspondent that the deceased was killed by thugs working for unknown rival politicians he had an altercation with at the polling unit earlier in the day .The Chairman of Isiala Mbano LGA , Jude Mbachu , who confirmed the development to our correspondent in Owerri , said the fleeing thugs used machetes to inflict deep cuts on his aide.Mbachu said , “They have killed one of my boys . He was killed in the presence of his wife . He was given deep cuts by suspected political thugs .“This is barbaric and it should be condemned by all lovers of democracy . I learnt that he had a disagreement with some people during the governorship primary of the APC at the polling unit ; in the night, the thugs came and killed him .”Another source told our correspondent that after using machetes to inflict deep injuries on the victim , his killers asked him to run before shooting him .The chairman of the APC in the Isiala Mbano LGA , Obinna Onuegbu , told our correspondent that the party was saddened by the death of the 28 – year -old .Onuegbu , who told our correspondent that the remains of the deceased had been deposited in a morgue , said the APC in the council would continue to preach politics of tolerance .The Police Public Relations Officer in the state , Orlando Ikeokwu , when contacted on the killing , promised to get back to our correspondent.He had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report. -
UNDP trains 225 IDPs in Borno, Adamawa,Yobe in various skills
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with Borno State Government has trained 225 IDPs from Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States in different skills acquisitions to prepare them to becomes self reliant as return back to their communities. (more…)
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Yobe; Minister defeats son to clinch APC Reps ticket
By Mohammed Mamman/Ahmed Abba
Hajiya Khadija Ibrahim, minister of state foreign Affairs, has defeated her step son Mohammed Ibrahim to clinch the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for Damaturu/Gulani/Gujba/Tarmuwa, Yobe federal constituency.
Prof Abba Gambo, the returning officer of the election which ran into the night announced on Wednesday that Khadijah polled 1,295 votes to defeat Mohammed who scored only 15 votes.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that in spite of pressures mounted on Mohammed to step down for his father’s wife, he refused.
NAN reports that two other contenders including the serving representative Alhaji Abdullahi Kukuwa and Alhaji Ahmed Buba stepped down for the minister.
The minister commended Abdullahi and Ahmed for withdrawing from the race to support her win the election.
Senator Bukar Ibrahim who stepped down his re-election bid against Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, did not attend any of the party primary elections including the one contested by his wife and son.
Meanwhile, some delegates condemned the inability of Khadija Ibrahim to settle her differences with the step son at home, to avoid running against each other.
Mairo Shuaibu, a delegate from Tarmuwa local government told NAN that “the inability of the family to settle their differences, for the son to step down for his step mother speaks of the instability in the house.”
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Ajimobi clinches Oyo South Senatorial ticket…Promises to surpass his governorship achievements at Senate
Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has clinched the All Progressives Congress ticket for Oyo South Senatorial District in the primary election conducted by the Chief Ademola Seriki-led electoral panel. (more…)
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Saudi Arabia to build oil refinery in Pakistan
The oil facility will be located near Gwadar sea port in the South-Western province of Balochistan, Petroleum Minister, Sarwar Khan, said.
Pakistan’s cabinet approved the plan after a delegation from the Saudi Energy Ministry visited Gwadar on Oct. 2, Khan said.
The capacity and the cost of the refinery were still to be determined, the minister added, but local media reports suggested the investment might be around eight billion dollars.
Since taking over in August, Pakistan’s new government has been looking to Saudi Arabia to invest in the country and seeking financial assistance to avoid a looming economic crisis.
Analysts warned that Saudi investment in a region bordering Iran could trigger a new conflict between Riyadh and Tehran.
“It is natural that Iranians will not be comfortable to see Saudis in their backyard,” Security Analyst, Fida Khan, said.
China could also be upset by the move, according to analysts.
The Chinese have built a port in Gwadar as part of 62-billion dollar project to establish an overland and sea trade route through Pakistan to reach Middle Eastern, European and African markets.
Political and defence analysts warned the investment by a U.S. ally in a project initiated by Beijing might anger the Chinese.
“This is a risky move,” said Irfan Shehzad from the Institute of Policy Studies think tank. “The Chinese may not be pleased.”
Pakistan’s new government said the investment plan with China that was signed by the previous administration might push the country into a “vicious debt trap.” (dpa/NAN)