The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, has informed the joint National Assembly Committee that she is determined to meet 100 per cent of the mandate given to her by President Bola Tinubu to reduce humanitarian crises and poverty challenges in Nigeria.
The Minister stated this while addressing the National Assembly joint committee on humanitarian and special duties during her Ministry’s budget defence.
According to her, Nigeria is saddled with 16 million people directly affected by the humanitarian crisis, including refugees, migrants from other countries and many others.
Edu also said the time has come for Nigeria to move from emergency responses to humanitarian challenges to more durable solutions created by a resilient system that works.
She also appealed to the National Assembly to hold her and her team accountable if they didn’t deliver.
She said, “I am 100% determined to meet that mandate given to me by President Bola Tinubu working with my team.
“I truly want poor people to receive the relief that they need in this country. We have lots of poor people, and over 70 million persons are living below the poverty line.
“This is an emergency, and that’s why we have not rested any single day since I started. President Tinubu has Poverty Eradication as one of his focal agendas, and it must be achieved. He has provided over 23 programmes to address multidimensional poverty. We must provide for these in the budget.
“I would also want to state clearly that the Senate and the House of Representatives must help us with a budget that reflects our mandate if we must deliver on it. Thereafter, they can hold us accountable for what is done. and what is not done. I want to repeat this, please. The Senate and the House of Representatives can hold us accountable for what is done as it concerns the renewed Hope Agenda⁰ Mandate of Mr. President.
“We will ensure we get to the grassroots, and we will go there with you to implement. At least when you are on the field with us implementing and you see what is going on and you are sure that your people have benefited from it, then you can be the ones to preach our Gospel when we come for the next budget session”.
Edu further pledged that under her watch, the Ministry as a team “will improve on everything we’ve met. It will not be business as usual. Nigerians will feel the impact where it’s needed most. The renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu is to ensure that the grassroots truly, truly in all honesty, receive what is due them”
Responding, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Special Duties which has oversight functions over some agencies under the Humanitarian Ministry, Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan, said the National Assembly is ready to partner with the Ministry to achieve success.
He said: “One thing I want to assure you is that the joint committee here is very much desirous, very much desirous of embarking on oversight visits.
“After the passage of this appropriation law, we are in part going to approve our work plan, and letters will be sent to you.
“We are going to all the parastatals and agencies under your ministries nationwide for us to have a first-hand assessment, undersupport assessment of these things. And then in so doing, we are also going to liaise with other MDAs and then of course the Appropriation Committee to ensure that the ministry and these agencies under our jurisdiction are well funded” “ you have started well, you will succeed”
