From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, has outlined some of the specifics that will be done to remove 50 million Nigerians from poverty, as directed by President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking with State House Correspondents on the day two of the three-day retreat at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, she stated that the ongoing payment of N25,000 to poor households in Nigeria via the conditional cash transfer programme for the next three months, amounting to N75,000, was part of the process.
She said though the programme was for an immediate cushioning of the economic shock being experienced following the fuel subsidy removal, it will contribute to lifting 61 million households from poverty.
Edu said the process was being carried out rigorously to ensure that the right people get the money. She said the government is identifying the beneficiaries, verifying their identities through their NINs and BVNs, and ensuring that they are paid.
“Beyond this, the President is going to be creating jobs for millions of Nigerians through different methods. We’re providing zero-interest loans for markets, petty traders, market women, among others.
“We’re also supporting poor farmers. We’re bringing on board the End Hunger Project, we’re equally bringing on board the Good Nigeria Project, and several other projects. And each of these projects has the targeted amount of persons who we want to reach through our social safety net projects. Adding all these people together will give us a way over 50 million persons that will be directly reached by the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
To address the issue of multi-dimensional poverty in Nigeria, Edu said her ministry was collaborating with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education Ministry of Agriculture, among others.
Speaking on the impact of the retreat, the minister said: “It has been very informative, especially as it concerns administration, governance, leadership, and actually managing the affairs of government at this level. For many persons, this has been very useful in setting the agenda for government. “For us in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and poverty alleviation, we are actually given a huge task, and that task is to go all out and ensure that we meet the deliverables and mandates of the government,” she said.