Dr. Betta Edu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, has stated that the Federal Government is committed to lifting 133 million Nigerians out of poverty.
Edu announced this when she took office on Monday in Abuja and held her first meeting with the Chief Executive Officers of the Ministry’s agencies. She promised Nigerians that she would work hard to guarantee openness and accountability during her stint as Minister.
She explained that the ministry will meet the target by implementing various interventions and programs aimed at pulling millions of Nigerians out of poverty.
“What is most important is that we will keep our focus on lifting 133 million Nigerians out of poverty.
“We can do it in phases, a step at a time because with determination and strong will, nothing is impossible.
“We will also achieve the feat with the strong political backing from His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu and every member of the cabinet.
”We will play down on politics, we are here to face the real business of governance,” she said.
The minister, who called the country’s increasing poverty rate intolerable, said all hands must be on deck to solve the crisis.
“Different sources of data suggest that we have a population of 200 million Nigerians, but I believe we have a larger population.”
“Sources indicate that 136 million of this population are extremely poor, which is unacceptable. We need to put smiles back on Nigerians’ faces. We must reach out to the underserved and restore their hope.”
“We must ensure that we will increase our efforts, and be very sincere, transparent, and accountable while doing so,” she said.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, affirmed commitment and loyalty to the Minister in her endeavor to deliver on the ministry’s mandate in his welcome message.
Gwarzo remarked that the event coincided with the ministry’s third anniversary.
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