FEC Approves Creation Of $5bn Humanitarian, Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the establishment of the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund to raise 5 billion dollars annually. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, disclosed this while briefing State House Correspondents on the outcome of the FEC meeting, held on Monday, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Edu said: “Every year we hope to be able to raise at least 5 billion dollars within this fund and this is from the various fund and sources. “We are hopeful that with the creation of this funding, we can sit down with all the key stakeholders including other ministries and actually work out the full modalities of implementation in Nigeria”. The minister expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for the approval for the creation of the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund. “The council approved for the establishment of the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust fund to actually be put together under a governing board. “And then of course, the implementation of that humanitarian and poverty trust fund, would be carefully worked out by members of the committee. “Of course, it will involve the Minister of Finance and other ministers that are relevant to the process. This is a flexible form of financing that is supposed to help Nigeria adequately respond to humanitarian crisis. “This will also respond to challenges as well as adequately address the issue of poverty in Nigeria and bring victory for the poor and indeed, bring help and succor which the Renewed Hope Agenda stands for,” she said. Edu further said that the fund was a flexible form of financing that could help the government get contributions from different sectors. She added that the fund would get contributions from the government, private sector, development partners, philanthropic individuals and other innovative form of funding. “This is to allow for emergency response to humanitarian crisis in Nigeria. Every other day we hear about crisis, the flood and the rest of it. So, we need to be able to respond adequately as a country. “Beyond this, the issue of poverty reduction is one of the agenda of the President Bola Tinubu in his eight-point agenda and we have to tackle it headlong,” she said The minister also revealed that the FEC has ratified the protocol on the protection of the rights of older persons in the country. “The Federal Executive Council, where the chairman of Council and members of council took decisions to ratify the protocol on the protection of the rights of older persons in Nigeria. “We have signed up to the African Charter and this has made us one of the countries within Africa that has approved that older people be protected and should not be discriminated against at any level. “And this gives them a lot of protection and the government of President Bola Tinubu is interested in their welfare and protecting their rights,” the minister said.

FG to extend social register to fallen soldiers’ families -Minister

The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to broaden the national social register and include the families of wounded and deceased soldiers in its poverty alleviation programs. Dr. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, revealed this during a meeting with Gen. Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, in Abuja. Edu emphasized the importance of supporting military families and stated, “We want to expand our social register to accommodate military personnel who have been wounded or impacted by war, including soldiers who have left their families behind. We need this data from the military so that we can include them in the social register.” The minister’s visit to the defense headquarters aimed to seek the Nigerian military’s cooperation in addressing humanitarian crises nationwide. She emphasized that alleviating humanitarian crises and poverty was a top priority for President Bola Tinubu’s administration. “Our goal is to discuss humanitarian crises across the nation and the need to collaborate with the military to prevent more individuals from falling into the humanitarian bracket. We also aim to effectively reach those affected by humanitarian crises wherever they are, with the military’s support,” Edu explained. In response, Gen. Musa assured the minister of the Nigerian military’s commitment to supporting her in achieving the ministry’s mandate. He acknowledged the direct link between military operations and humanitarian aid, highlighting that successful organizations directly benefit military efforts. Gen. Musa expressed gratitude to the humanitarian ministry for considering the military community’s needs and expressed optimism that the collaboration would yield positive results. The engagement aimed to establish a strong alliance between humanitarian efforts and the military to swiftly address the growing crisis and provide immediate assistance to those affected.