The creation of the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund to raise $5 billion yearly has been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
This information was provided to State House reporters by Dr. Betta Edu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, during a briefing on the results of the FEC meeting that took place on Monday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Mrs. Edu stated, “We want to be able to raise at least $5 billion inside this fund each year, and this comes from a variety of sources and funds.
“We are hopeful that with the creation of this funding, we can sit down with all the key stakeholders, including other ministries and actually work out the full modalities of implementation in Nigeria”.
The minister thanked President Bola Tinubu for blessing the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund.
” The council approved for the establishment of the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust fund to actually be put together under a governing board.
“And then of course, the implementation of that humanitarian and poverty trust fund, would be carefully worked out by members of the committee.
” Of course, it will involve the Minister of Finance and other ministers that are relevant to the process. This is a flexible form of financing that is supposed to help Nigeria adequately respond to the humanitarian crisis.
“This will also respond to challenges as well as adequately address the issue of poverty in Nigeria and bring victory for the poor and indeed, bring help and succor which the Renewed Hope Agenda stands for,” she said.
Mrs Edu further said that the fund was a flexible form of financing that could help the government get contributions from different sectors.
She added that the fund would get contributions from the government, private sector, development partners, philanthropic individuals and other innovative form of funding.
” This is to allow for emergency response to humanitarian crisis in Nigeria. Every other day we hear about crisis, the flood and the rest of it. So we need to be able to respond adequately as a country.
” Beyond this, the issue of poverty reduction is one of the agenda of the President Bola Tinubu in his eight point agenda and we have to tackle it headlong,” she said.
The minister also revealed that the FEC has ratified the protocol on the protection of the rights of older persons in the country.
” The Federal Executive Council, where the chairman of Council and members of council took decisions to ratify the protocol on the protection of the rights of older persons in Nigeria.
” We have signed up to the African Charter and this has made us one of the countries within Africa that has approved that older people be protected and should not be discriminated against at any level.
” And this gives them a lot of protection and the government of President Bola Tinubu is interested in their welfare and protecting their rights,” the minister said.
