After two months in office, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Dr. Betta Chimaobim Edu to head the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, as part of his administration’s plans to achieve his Renewed Hope Agenda. PAUL OKAH in this report takes a look at what Nigerians expect from the new minister.
Growing poverty necessitated the creation of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari on August 21, 2019, with the intention to lift over 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within 10 years.
Despite initiating and adopting different programmes, including the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP), which housed the N-Power, National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer, among others, monthly figures from the National Bureau of Statistics did not show any commendable progress in the former president’s effort in tackling poverty.
Therefore, two months after assumption of office, with his Renewed Hope Agenda, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appears determined to go extra miles in lifting Nigerians out of poverty, especially with the re-naming of the ministry to Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
‘Minister must lift Nigerians from poverty’
Speaking with Blueprint Weekend, a civil servant, Mr. Musa Badaru, said the immediate past minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, kick-started many programmes that the present minister should build upon.
He said: “All eyes will be on the new minister of Humanitarian Affairs to lift millions of Nigerians from poverty. It is no longer news that millions of Nigerians are living in abject poverty because of one factor or the other, especially in the northern part of the country. The former Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq, did her best to lift Nigerians out of poverty through different programmes within four years of the creation of the ministry.
“Therefore, Minister Edu has her work cut out for her. She must do her own part as more people have fallen into poverty due to the fuel subsidy removal, inflation and other factors. Many things have changed since the last administration, so expectations are high. The Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will only make sense when Nigerians start feeling the impact of positive policies. The new minister will be at the helm of affairs in renewing the hopes of Nigerians. She appears energetic and roaring to go, so Nigerians naturally have big expectations of her.”
Analyst’s views
On his part, a social commentator and public affairs analyst, Michael Chibueze, advised the new minister to consult her predecessor to be able to navigate many things and deliver on her mandate.
He said: “Edu, as a medical doctor, was appointed commissioner of health in Cross River state by the Ben Ayade administration and recorded remarkable changes in the health sector before the end of the administration. Even as women leader of the APC, she is reputed to have mobilised women across the nation to vote massively for the present administration; hence, the need by the president to compensate her with a ministerial appointment.
“As the saying goes, government is a continuum. Nobody knows it all, that’s why we always need to ask questions, especially from our superiors. I will advise and expect the new minister to reach out to her predecessor for advice on how to overcome the many challenges she is bound to encounter in the discharge of her duties because the former minister stayed there for almost four years. She should swallow her pride and not leave anything to chance.
“In Nigeria, the northern part of the country has more people and the minister is from the south. So, she should reach out and ask questions and seek counsel because she is new in the terrain and needs to be guided. No doubt, the ministry won’t be the same as many programs have been cut off since the new administration came into power, but all eyes will be on the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to save Nigerians from the excruciating poverty, hunger and deprivation millions have found themselves.”
Staff’s expectations
Speaking with this reporter, a senior staff of the ministry, who pleaded not to have his name in print, said that challenges in the ministry are overwhelming, including funding, internal wrangling, external factors and civil service bureaucracy that the minister is expected to navigate if she is to deliver in office.
“When the minister assumed office on Monday and had her maiden meeting with directors of the ministry, I was impressed by her energetic talk about ringing changes, going extra miles to achieve results. That is the kind of talk one would expect from a minister who knows the problem she is going to encounter and how to navigate the problems.
“I was seconded to the ministry about three years ago and I couldn’t help but notice many challenges. It is a peculiar ministry and has many teething challenges, which dogged the path of the immediate past minister and dwarfed most of her efforts, especially combating increasing poverty in the midst of funding difficulties.
“There was a lot of delay in the release of funds by the Ministry of Finance to clear backlogs and fund programmes. Therefore, it will be a thing of joy if the minister can get funding on time for the implementation of programmes initiated by the ministry for poverty alleviation.
“Also, I expect the new minister to beware of eye service and sycophants. As civil servants, we are here to serve any government in power. Minister Edu is expected to do her best and carve a niche for herself while in office. In the coming months, we’ll be working with her to walk the talk because there are a lot of expectations and challenges she must overcome in delivering on her mandate as the minister,” he said.
Minister’s vows
Interestingly, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Chimaobim Edu, has said she would meet the expectations of Nigerians, adding that she wouldn’t rest a minute until she had helped President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to achieve his Renewed Hope agenda.
Speaking during an inaugural meeting with directors and senior staff of the ministry, after her inauguration Edu said the president had good plans for the development of the country and that her appointment was divine as she had been doing humanitarian works from childhood.
She said: “Before today, I spent some time doing some research. We have 136 million poor Nigerians. 136 million poor Nigerians is alarming and completely unacceptable to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The ministry was renamed to refocus us. We need to bring back smiles on the faces of Nigerians. We have a lot to deliver. We need to get down to those who are underserved and renew their hopes.
“President Tinubu will bring on board people-centered, life changing programmes. We are going to be tactical and smart about our programmes. All my life, I have had to reach out to people. I am a child of a missionary. I read medicine. Growing up, I watched my father going to reach out to people. He shared items with them while I watched. Some of the people had scabies. So, I decided to read medicine to help out. However, this appointment is on a larger scale. I am open to suggestions. Things will not continue the way they are. We will ensure people no longer live below one dollar per day.
“Mr. President needed energy to achieve the renewed hope agenda that is why a younger person was appointed to head the ministry. We will be rejigging a lot of things as we go on, especially the agencies under the ministry. We have to lift the 136 poor million Nigerians out of poverty. We will do it. We have to do it. We will play down on politics and baggage and face the real business of why we are here.
“I will ensure that this becomes the best ministry in Nigeria. I will work with Mr President to ensure we meet the people affected by the humanitarian crisis and to achieve the Renewed Hope agenda. We will ensure that the poor breath. We will go out there and ensure we get the work done.
“We will bring in the private sector and international agencies to achieve our objectives. My being here is destiny and my time here will be the best for the country. We will create a minimum of 10 million jobs from this ministry. Let’s get ready for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He came prepared. He came with compassion. He will unveil his package in the coming days.”
