- New Minister Edu aims to uplift 133 million Nigerians from poverty, focusing on transparency, phased interventions, and political support.
- Minister Edu commits to combating poverty, pledges transparent efforts, and receives backing from President Tinubu and cabinet members.
Dr Betta Edu, the new Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, has stated that the federal government is committed to lifting 133 million Nigerians out of poverty.
Edu made this known when she took office on Monday in Abuja and held her first meetings with the chief executives of the ministry’s agencies.
She promised Nigerians that she would work hard to ensure transparency and accountability during her tenure as Minister.
She explained that the ministry will meet the target by implementing various interventions and initiatives to lift 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 described the alarming rate of poverty in the country as unacceptable, said all hands must be on deck to address the situation.
Different sources of data suggest that we have a population of 200 million Nigerians, which I think we are more than that.
Of this population, the sources indicated that 136 million are extremely poor, which is unacceptable.
We need to bring smiles back to the faces of Nigerians. We must reach out to those who are underserved and renew their hope.
While doing this, we must ensure that we will increase our efforts, be very sincere, transparent and accountable, Edu added.
The permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, expressed commitment and loyalty to the Minister in her quest to deliver on the ministry’s mandate in his welcome address.
Gwarzo noted that the event coincided with the ministry’s third anniversary.