No fewer than 25 million Nigerians require humanitarian assistance each year, the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, has said.
Doro disclosed this on Friday in Calabar at the maiden meeting of the National Council on Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, noting that about 60 per cent of the country’s population lives in multidimensional poverty.
“Nigeria today faces stark realities. Over 25 million citizens require humanitarian assistance annually, while more than 60 per cent of the population lives in multidimensional poverty,” he said.
He stressed that states and local government areas remain on the frontline of the crisis and must be better equipped to respond through improved financing, skills development, data integration and stronger institutions.
According to the minister, the theme of the meeting, “Beyond the National: Strengthening Sub-Nationals and Multi-Stakeholder Synergy for a Unified Approach to Humanitarian Response and Poverty Reduction,” reflects the urgency of adopting coordinated and locally driven solutions.
Doro said Nigeria’s humanitarian and poverty challenges could no longer be tackled in isolation or through fragmented interventions, but require coherence, coordination and shared responsibility across all levels of government and society.
He described the council as the institutional framework for implementing the ministry’s “One Humanitarian, One Poverty Reduction System,” aimed at harmonising interventions, eliminating duplication and aligning emergency response with long-term poverty reduction efforts.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Sununu, said the federal government remained open to ideas and partnerships that would improve the welfare of Nigerians.
On his part, the Deputy Governor of Cross River, Dr Peter Odey, said the state government would continue to deploy available resources to mitigate humanitarian challenges, expressing confidence that joint efforts would lead to more efficient, inclusive and sustainable outcomes.
