Humanitarian Minister seeks partnership with Information Ministry for transparency of poverty alleviation programmes
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu has sought a partnership with the Ministry of Information and National Orientation for the transparency of poverty alleviation programmes embarked on by the Ministry.
The Minister made this known when she paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mallam Mohammed Idris in his office yesterday.
In her address, Dr. Betta Edu, stated that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made commitments through an eight-point agenda, at the top of which is food security and ending poverty, which is in line with SDG 1 and 2, thus refocusing the mandate of her ministry to include poverty alleviation.
She explained that her mandate is now two-pronged: firstly, preventing people from falling into humanitarian crises, and secondly, ensuring that those who are in crisis are pulled out of it.
Dr. Edu said her job is critical because of the millions of people implicated in multi-dimensional poverty in Nigeria, with dire needs for shelter, health care, nutrition, and housing.
She said it is essential to publicise the activities of the ministry because what is not reported is considered not done.
“We need reportage; we need to build the confidence of the populace in the government; we need to seal the communication gap between the government and the people it governs.
“We want to run a transparent system and the only thing that can make us transparent and give us that level of accountability before Nigerians is the fact that whatever we do, we tell Nigerians about it,” She said.
The Information Minister on the other hand highlighted that his ministry has a crucial role in publicising government programs like those of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, assuring the visiting minister of the full support of the ministry in disseminating its mandate.
He noted further that publicity will encourage citizens to actively appreciate, engage and benefit from the programmes of the Ministry.
He lauded the minister for her visit and assured her that the ministry would collaborate to make her outing successful.
