By correspondent in Minna.The
Federal government has assured Nigerians of its avowed determination to pull out those of them living on $1 per day and effectively reduce poverty in the country.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, gave the assurance when when she flagged-off the distribution of empowerment equipment to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Niger state
Edu, who performed the ceremony the IDP camp in Gwada, Shiroro Local Government Area of the state, north central Nigeria,said the distribution of the food items represents the present administrations’ strategies to end hunger and poverty, especially among rural dwellers.
The minister expressed optimism that the federal government’s resolve to pull out every Nigerian living under one dollar per day through the agenda had becomes a reality.
She said the one day working visit to the state was to enable her access the living conditions of the IDPs forced out from their ancestral homes by armed bandits and as well recent boat mishaps that affected several riverline communities, ahead of the federal government’s interventions.
Edu who, presented several equipment and food items to the IDPs in the state further assured that: “Hope has come for Nigerians,” adding,”we will provide durable solutions to all the things that are bothering us as a people and as a nation.
“We have seen a couple of things happening around us, the living conditions of the citizenry, how poor they are and it is no fault of anyone.”
The Minister expressed concern that armed banditry had led to the displacement of millions of Nigerians, leading to the closure of about 400 schools shut down resulting in about 11,000 children thrown out of school.
The Minister, who appreciated the Governor, Muhammad Umaru Bago for his plans to end insurgency in the state added that; social register, conditional cash transfer and other social intervention programmes of the federal government would be extended to the state IDPs.
Edu,who expressed hope that the relief items would go a long way in cushioning the effects of the harsh socio-economic realities, told the IDPs of the federal government’s plans to provide more lasting solutions to enable them cater for themselves and their families.
The wife of the Governor, Hajiya Fatima Umar Bago, commended the federal government’s concerns for the distressed people in the state through the humanitarian gestures, assuring that once the issue of hunger and poverty is addressed, insecurity would come to an end. Also speaking, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Alhaji Ahmed Sulieman Yumu, pleaded with the Minister to expand the National Social Register to accommodate more people in need of various interventions in Niger state.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
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