Humanitarian Minister laments food insecurity, gender-based violence 

From Okwe Obi, Abuja

The Federal Government has expressed concern about the rising trend of gender-based violence in the country.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, expressed this concern at the inaugural assembly and induction ceremony of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocates organised by Community Impact Affinity yesterday in Abuja.

Doro reiterated the ministry’s commitment to SDG 1 — No Poverty — adding that the broader humanitarian architecture of Nigeria remains absolute. He stressed the critical role of SDG advocates, not only in speeches or slogans, but impact.

According to him, Nigeria would continue to confront the complex, intersecting challenges of multidimensional poverty, humanitarian crises, climate vulnerability, and the lingering scars of conflict and displacement.

Represented by his Technical Adviser on Poverty Reduction, Augustine Ajijelek, the Minister said: “Far too many of our citizens, especially women, children, and youth, still grapple with food insecurity, limited access to basic services, and the trauma of gender-based violence.

“Institutions tasked with delivering hope sometimes struggle under the weight of coordination gaps, resource constraints, and the sheer scale of need.

“Together, we shall prove that when the government, transnational NGOs like the CIA, and passionate SDG Advocates align, progress is not only possible but practically unstoppable.”

He added the government, through the Ministry, would move beyond fragmented interventions to a bold, integrated approach under the ‘One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System’ (OHOPRS).

 He tasked the SDG advocates on local context and institutional collaboration by breaking down silos and delivering measurable results.

 The Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nanna Nandap, on her part, said the Service would continue to take deliberate steps to make the NIS a model institution by building capacity for gender-responsive service delivery and digitising to reduce human contact and corruption at the borders and across its formations.

 Represented by NIS Assistant Comptroller General on Migration, Azuka-Mimi Halliday, Nandap explained that those are institutional investments that produce better officers, better service, and stronger communities.