President Bola Tinubu’s directive, which calls on the Federal Government to lift 50 million Nigerians out of poverty, was underlined by Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Betta Edu on Friday.
Remember that at the conclusion of the three-day cabinet retreat for ministers, presidential aides, permanent secretaries, and top government officials, President Tinubu had declared on Wednesday that Ministers will sign a Performance Agreement with him.
In response to inquiries from State House reporters during the three-day retreat held at the State House Conference Center in Abuja, Edu stated that part of it included continuing to provide N25,000, or N75,000, to low-income households in Nigeria through the conditional cash transfer program for the following three months.
The minister clarified that while the Program is intended to mitigate the immediate economic shock that these people are facing due to the elimination of gasoline subsidies, it would also help to alleviate poverty for 61 million households.
She claims that in order to make sure the correct people receive the money, the procedure is being followed closely.
She explained that in order to make sure the beneficiaries are paid, the government is identifying them, confirming their identities with their BVNs and NINs.
The Minister emphasized that paying people in haste just to discover later that they don’t exist is not something the government wants to do.
When asked what measures will guarantee that 50 million Nigerians are lifted out of poverty, Edu replied, “So we have a couple of things that have been listed out.” First and foremost, you are aware that poor households in Nigeria are receiving an ongoing payment of N25,000, which will total N75,000 over the course of three months.
This is now an instantaneous buffer against the economic shock that these households are going through. On the other hand, we’re taking our time through the demanding procedure. We want to make sure that the appropriate people receive the money, and we have identified them, verified their identity with BVNs and NINs, and made the payment. That’s the simple explanation for our reasoning. We don’t want to pay them in haste only to discover later that they don’t exist.⁎⁶
“For this reason, we underwent the verification process, and payments have begun. This is something that other states in the union can confirm. and private low-income households as well. It’s not even secret because we will make this public. public so that we can be held responsible by Nigerians. ⁎⁶
“15 million households, or around 61 million people, is what this represents. Beyond this, the President will employ other strategies to generate work for millions of Nigerians. Among other persons, we offer zero-interest loans to markets, small traders, and market women. Additionally, we’re helping underprivileged farmers. We are collaborating on the End Hunger Project, the Good Nigeria Project, and a number of other initiatives. Additionally, each of these initiatives aims to reach the specific number of people that our social safety net initiatives are intended to serve. The government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would be able to directly reach over 50 million people if we gather all of the people who wish to reach out and contribute to the effort.
The Minister also emphasized how crucial it is for her ministry and other ministries to work together to address the complex problem of poverty in Nigeria.
According to her, poverty has many facets, and for some people, it stems from a lack of employment opportunities, access to adequate healthcare, or an education. She gave her word that her ministry is working in tandem with the ministries of agriculture, finance, health, and education, among others, to help Nigerians escape this multifaceted poverty.
Regarding the ways in which her ministry will work in concert with other ministries to tackle health care and high-quality education as a way to combat poverty, Edu remarked, “We’re running the race together. The problem has been addressed on several levels. Recall that poverty is multifaceted. As a result, some people are impoverished because they lack access to education.
“Not having access to high-quality healthcare treatments might make some people impoverished. Because they are unable to find employment, some people live in poverty.
Thus, it has multiple dimensions. We are working together as a ministry with the Ministries of Finance, Health, Education, and Agriculture, among others, to try and help Nigerians escape this multifaceted poverty.
In his remarks, Edu discussed the retreat’s effects and stated: “It has been very informative, especially as it concerns administration, governance, leadership, and actually managing the affairs of government at this level.” This has helped many people much in determining the government’s agenda. “We’re all going to sign the bond to deliver on our targets,” the President stated in a very direct and articulate speech yesterday, Wednesday. In addition to reaching out to millions of Nigerians, he is delivering the Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to, among other things, ensure that we have good administration, combat corruption, provide food security, alleviate poverty, and uphold the rule of law. ⁎⁶
The most crucial thing is to make sure that all of these foot soldiers are prepared for duty. We at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation have been entrusted with a monumental task: to make every effort to fulfill the government’s directives and deliverables. ⁎⁶
“Our deliverables are clearly stated here. Furthermore, we are endorsing the bond. And all of the ministry’s staff members as well as the agencies under its supervision would be out there making sure we succeed and deliver. It won’t be a simple undertaking. Mr. President is a first-rate leader with high expectations for the progress he hopes to make in the lives of Nigerians. A lot is expected. He also won’t give up. We shall not falter. Nigeria is a nation that is resilient. ⁎⁶
“Things are already heading in the correct direction. Nigerians are asked to cooperate, show a little patience, and have an understanding of the administration and its policies. We would put in the effort to see that the Renewed Hope Agenda is carried out, we would be truthful and responsible.
