Globally, disaster has become a permanent part of human existence. It may come as a result of natural causes or through an attempt by man to improve his environment.
Given the inevitability of disaster, the only smart option is to fashion a robust channel of response to cushion its effects when it does happen. This sector has suffered untold neglect and bedevilled by corruption in the past. Nigeria has never had a holistic and coordinated approach to managing effects of disaster. When it does exist, one hardly feel the impact, as it is usually turned into a conduit pipe for unscrupulous officials who love their pocket and bank accounts above the plight of their people.
In Nigeria, that narrative changed for good since 2016 when the President Muhammad Buhari-led government decided to institute a broader approach to relief services. The Nigeria government established the National Social Investments Programmes (NSIP) in 2016 to tackle poverty and hunger across the country. The suite of programmes under the NSIP focuses on ensuring a more equitable distribution of resources to vulnerable populations, including children, youth and women. Since 2016, these programmes combined have supported more than 4 million beneficiaries country-wide through a fair and transparent process supported by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning (MBNP) and other notable MDAs with aligned goals.
With the creation of N-Power, a scheme set up by President Buhari since June 8, 2016, to address issues of youth unemployment and help increase social development has liberated thousands of youths from the labour market and has empowered them to take their destinies in their own hands. The scheme was created as a component of National Social Investment Programme to provide a structure for large scale and relevant work skills acquisition and development and to ensure that each participant will learn and practice most of what is necessary to find or create work.
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development created in August 2019, which is headed by Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, has demonstrated that where character, competence and compassion meets national duties, the result can only be imagined. Since its creation, many African countries are beginning to learn from Nigeria how to arrange humanitarian services and disaster response.
The creation of a dedicated ministry underscores the importance the Nigerian government under President Buhari attaches to the welfare and well-being of the citizens. It also shows Buhari’s humane approach to governance. Ideally, the cumulative effects of government action should be to improve the welfare and wellbeing of the people. President Buhari is fully aware of this and had demonstrated uncommon courage by the creation of Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development in 2019 to, among other things, provide leadership and coordinate all matters relating to humanitarian challenges, disasters and social development in Nigeria.
Under the Social Protection Programmes, channels like social assistance, social assistance – general, social transfers, cash transfers are the avenue through which the ministry reach the poor. Others are school feeding programmes labour market programs, public work, productive inclusion. N-Power programme has been a huge source of succour for the unemployed.
With the COVID-19 pandemic came nightmare for most businesses but interventions by the Humanitarian ministry, through its intervention channels, have saved thousands of businesses from going down the drain.For instance, the GEEP programme of the federal government is designed to provide access to credit for the poor and vulnerable people who are at the bottom of the economic pyramid, and are involved in active commercial activity but have never had the opportunity to access federal government assisted loans. The programme provides three classes of loan products namely Tradermoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni to support small to medium sized businesses.
Though the federal government through the Humanitarian Ministry provided relief materials to all parts of the country affected by COVID-19, the ministry ensured that the North East that is not only suffering the impact of the pandemic, but also insecurity caused by terrorists as well was well secured with relief materials. The Buhari-led government has demonstrated what is possible when men of passion comes to power.
The Northeast of Nigeria is one geo-political zone that has suffered most in the last decade, no thanks to Boko Haram insurgency. Many people are afraid to visit the region, but Sadiya Umar-Farouq, in the last 12 months, has practically ‘taken a home’ in the region and initiated committees, including the National Steering Committee for the restructured Multi-sectoral Crisis Recovery Project (MCRP) designated for Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
MCRP is the foundation for the effective implementation of the Lake Chad Region Recovery and Development Project (PROLAC), sponsored by the World Bank at a whopping sum of $200 million dollars to support the recovery of the Northeast region.
In 2020, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, was adjudged the best minister in the first 12 months of President Buhari’s second term by Transparency Watch. But her staff in the ministry were shocked when they realised she had packed her bag and was on her way to Adamawa State and Gombe states on field trips, shortly after the announcement. In a country like Nigeria where a majority of citizens would not hesitate to roll out the red carpet when opportunities to celebrate achievements present themselves, she refused to call for celebration.
From hitting the ground running on August 22, 2019, to flag off the voluntary repatriation of Nigerian refugees living in Cameroun, to the visit to the Niger Republic about two weeks after her appointment to rub minds with her counterpart in the country and call for support for humanitarian affairs and disaster management, Umar-Farouq has never disappointed President Buhari on the main objectives of creating the ministry.
The best Nigerians should do to encourage them is to support other policies and programmes of the government as it strives to make life meaningful for all Nigerians.
Ibrahim is director, Communications and Strategic Planning, Presidential Support Committee (PSC).
