Betta Edu: Humanitarian Affairs Ministry Budget Too Small To Fight Poverty

She pleaded with the budget committee to intervene in the matter in the interest of poor Nigerians.

Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, on Tuesday, raised the alarm that the amount allocated to her ministry in the 2024 budget was not capable of fighting poverty in the country.

The Minister stated this when she led officials of her ministry and parastatals under it, to defend her 2024 appropriation bill before the Joint National Assembly committee on Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, chaired by Senator Idiat Adebule.

She said her ministry was given an overhead ceiling of N532.5 billion which represents a 28 per cent increase over the 2023 budget to cushion the effects of inflation.

She said it was pertinent to note that the 28 per cent increase in the overhead ceiling was not commensurate with the 27.33 percent inflationary rate in the economy today.

Conversely, she said the capital budget ceiling was reduced from N3.7 billion in 2022, to N1.328316 billion in 2023, and it represented a 71 percent reduction.

So, in 2022 and 2023 there was a 71 per cent reduction.

She said, “However the pittance capital ceiling of N1.535 billion which is an increase from the current year’s budget does not in any way match with the mandate of the ministry’s headquarters in order to shrink poverty in Nigeria.”

Simply put, Edu said, “there was an over 71 per cent reduction between 2022 and 2023 so the minimal increase between 2023 and 2024 does not in any way match with the mandate which we have been given and what is expected of us.”

She therefore pleaded with the committee chairman and members to intervene in the matter in the interest of poor Nigerians.

She said, “The burden lies on us to actually tackle the issue of poverty with sincerity.

“One thing you can take from myself and my team working under the guardian of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is that he truly wants Nigerians to be out of poverty.

“Except the budget is appropriated for it, we would be completely unable to meet that mandate.

“It will be words that would not be matched with actions. I am happy that you represent constituencies and senatorial zones a lot is being expected of you from the Government in your constituencies to meet their real sincere demands.

“That is the reason why this committee must go beyond board to ensure that the present budget which was given to the Ministry and agencies is carefully looked into, reconsidered and something more reasonable and in keeping with the realities on ground is done.

“The ministry has several special projects which I will not like to mention and we intend to use these special projects as agencies under us to meet the target.”

Speaking further, she said: “Something very serious was omitted. If you followed the news closely, the President who is the chairman of the Federal Executive Council recently approved the creation of Humanitarian and Poverty Eradication Trust Fund.

“This Trust is expected to have contribution from the federal government 30 per cent counterpart funding which is supposed to come from donor agencies as well as development partners.

“We also have 30 per cent coming from the private sector and then, 10 per cent from other very innovative funds of resource mobilisation which we have already started engagement.

“Similarly, 10 per cent is expected from other very innovative funds of resource mobilisation for which we have already started engagements in the over 111 days in office.

“We have been engaging massively for these funds to come into Nigeria to support the implementation of programmes which we will be implementing with you at the front burner by reaching out to your constituents.

“However, Nigeria needs to put its own part of the bargain on the table. This would be not just an attraction to those who are supposed are bringing in the other percent, but it will serve as a lighter to reach the poor and indeed eradicate poverty from our country.”

Adebule asked whether the Minister presented the budget for the Trust Fund at the budget during the planning stage.

In her response, Edu said it was presented to the Ministry of Budget but that it was not reflected in what her ministry later got.