Betta Edu, minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, has raised concerns that the allocation to the ministry in the 2024 budget is not sufficient to combat poverty in Nigeria.
The minister also lamented that the creation of Humanitarian and Poverty Eradication Trust Fundas approved by the Federal Executive Council was not catered for in the budget.
Speaking before the Joint National Assembly committee of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, on Tuesday, Edu highlighted the challenges her ministry faces with the allocated budget.
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Edu emphasized that the ministry’s overhead ceiling received a 28% increase, amounting to N532.5 billion, aimed at mitigating the impact of inflation. However, she pointed out that this increase does not align with the current 27.33% inflation rate in the country. Furthermore, the capital budget ceiling witnessed a significant reduction from N3.7 billion in 2022 to N1.328316 billion in 2023, representing a staggering 71% decrease.
The Minister underscored the need for a more substantial budget to fulfill the ministry’s mandate of poverty reduction. She expressed concern that the minimal increase between 2023 and 2024 would not suffice, especially considering the significant reduction in the previous year.
She explained that there was an over 71% reduction between 2022 and 2023 so the minimal increase between 2023 and that 2024 does not in any way match with the mandate and what is expected of the ministry.
“At this point I will plead humbly and sincerely with the chairman, co-chair and members of this great Committee that as we look into Nigeria as a nation.
“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’s of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is that he truly wants Nigerians to be out of poverty.
Except the budget is appropriate for it, we would be completely unable to meet that mandate”, she said.
The Minister further explained that the Trust is expected to have contribution from the Federal Government 30% counterpart funding which is supposed to come from donor agencies as well as development partners.
Similarly , 10% is expected from other very innovative dunds of resource mobilization for which the ministry have already started engagements in the over 111 days in office, she added.
“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,” she said.
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“We plead with this great Committee that as you make your submission to the appropriation committee and of course furthermore to the final level where the gavel will go down on the 2024 Appropriation we seek that you help us ensure the inclusion of these budget line as well as appropriation for this budget line.
“This was clearly stated as an ommission and that is why we are asked to bring in as a memo to the committee to see how they can consider it.”
