The following are the 12 MICROs that the poor and needy yearn and aspire from government at all levels and well meaning individuals and organisations in Nigeria
1. Micro Finance
The poor need little capital or micro credit to start a business or trade;
2. Micro Business
The poor need to be trained and equipped to manage a business or trade in order to make money and achieve economic independence;
3. Micro Insurance
The poor need an insurance to protect them against the peril or risks of theft, diseases, sickness, loss of job, public or product liabilities, etc;
4. Micro Agriculture
They need to be equipped to engage in agriculture, if not commercial, at least, subsistence agriculture to feed themselves;
5. Micro Politics
The poor need to be politically empowered rather than simply allowing politics to continue to shape them detrimentally;
6. Micro Community
They to be discouraged from living alone, and be encouraged to register and belong to a given community, such as trade associations, ethnic groups, etc, in order to garner social capital that the community can leverage on to help them, before they start to look outward for complementary help;
7. Micro Pension
The poor need to be educated and enlightened, on how to save and invest now in order to take care of themselves later at old age, and with little reliance on governments, employers, family members or friends;
8. Micro Guarantee
The poor have little or no personal assets or reputation to guarantee them anything, especially credit for business -government and other well meaning individuals and organisations can help in this regard without giving the poor any money;
9. Micro Security
The poor should be educated and enlightened, on how the society can be safe and secure, from their actions and inactions and how he can be personally safe and secure, from the actions and inactions of the other members of the society or community – this is what collective security is all about;
10. Micro Housing
They need shelter for themselves and families through affordable housing and rents!
11. Micro Data
The poor need to be provided with little access to data for internet with view to be, not only digital included, but equally to hear from the world and the world hear from him as well;
12. Micro Identification
Most importantly, the poor need to be digitally identified by the government so that, he can be captured in the government agenda; if you don’t know anything about the poor, how can you identify them?
Which of the above 12 MICROs for the poor really intrigues and interests you, ladies and gentlemen?
God knows the best!
Engr. Kabiru el-Hussain Rumah,
Founder and CEO of Jakadan Rumah Foundation (JRF), Katsina, Katsina state [email protected] 08038473713!