The Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, has disclosed that plans are in place to establish humanitarian hubs in all 774 Local Government Areas across the country.
The Minister made this disclosure during a radio Nigeria weekly Network Programme ‘Radio Link’, noting that the Ministry will also send its staff to the 774 Local Government Areas to get feedback in addition to engaging in digital tracking of the palliatives to determine the time, location, household, and individuals they are delivered to.
She explained that the humanitarian hubs are a long-term goal towards alleviating poverty in Nigeria, adding that the hubs will accommodate homegrown commodities, which will be sold at cheaper rates to Nigerians.
Dr. Edu further announced plans to establish a Board Independent Monitors to ensure that the relief materials reach those who need them the most and to also ensure a transparency and effective disbursement.
Dr. Edu, who was the immediate past National Woman Leader of All Progressives Congress, vowed that, “under my watch, the Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Ministry will address poverty through job creation, cash transfer to poor Nigerians, engagement with the Nutrition Department, the establishment of Micro Small and Medium Enterprise and provision of stimulus to their Business.”
She also affirmed the Ministry’s commitment towards curtailing the humanitarian crisis across the country, assuring that prompt response will henceforth be on the front-burner of the Ministry’s agenda.
Speaking on the proposed empowerment schemes, the Minister said, “Nigerians should be rest assured that all existing empowerments within the National Investment Programme will be rejigged, made more effective to cover more Nigerians.”
She said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has “huge economic plans for Nigeria; some are short term goals which the Ministry will soon Implement and some are long term goals, Nigerians should trust the process.”
On the challenges, in terms of delay in payment of stipends being faced by the beneficiaries of the N-Power scheme, the Minister said her Ministry was working round the clock to address the issue.
“We will change the modalities so that people will get their delayed stipends, include more people and relaunch it with a renewed hope concept,” Dr. Edu stressed.
