The newly appointed Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, has pledged his commitment to lifting over 60 percent of poor Nigerians out of multi-dimensional poverty using the nation’s available resources.
Dr. Doro made this known on Tuesday during a reception organized in Abuja shortly after his appointment. He emphasized the importance of teamwork, accountability, and collaboration in achieving the Ministry’s set objectives. He also noted that with the level of expertise among staff members, the Ministry can deliver on its mandate and meet the expectations of Nigerians.
According to him, the Ministry’s work is centered on ensuring that Nigerians at the bottom of the economic ladder can experience upward mobility and better living conditions. “One thing that gives me courage is the fact that I’ve got experienced individuals here. I know that you will help, you will support me, and that we’ll be able not only to get in but to walk in it comfortably,” Dr. Doro said.
He added, “I can see from the introductions the technical skills and experience here. I’ve lived in the UK for over two decades, so there will be a bit of adjustment to make, but I want to believe that leveraging on your experiences and technical knowledge — and as someone who is keen to learn, someone who is teachable — we can be able to move the ministry to greater heights.”
Dr. Doro noted that the expectations placed on him are high, and he is determined to meet and exceed them. “For some reason, there have been massive, great expectations of me. I’m not sure why, but the bar has been set so high, and I need to work extra hard to make sure that I even get to half of the bar that has been set for me. I believe that we will work together to achieve even beyond that,” he stated.
He explained that his major goal is to support the agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to renew hope among Nigerians, particularly those living in poverty. “Mr. President wants to renew the hope of Nigerians, especially those at the bottom of the economic ladder. This country by statistics has something around over 60% multi-dimensionally poor people. I’m sure we can do better with the resources that we have as a country,” he said.
The Minister emphasized that the Ministry will focus on teamwork, collaboration, accountability, and selfless service to ensure that hope becomes a reality for millions of Nigerians living in poverty. “It is our job, as the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, to help those people move up from where they are — to help them achieve social mobility. We can do this because of the experience that is in this house,” he said.
He added, “We will do this by working together and by collaborating. We will do this by partnering with one another. We will do this by ensuring that we are accountable to one another. We will achieve this when we work together in unity. And I believe that, seeing the great men and women here, we will achieve this. Simply put, we want to make sure that we make hope a reality for those demographics that we are serving, and we will be selfless in doing that.”
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Hon. Yusuf Sununu, highlighted that several programs have already been initiated by the Ministry to improve the lives of vulnerable Nigerians. He explained that Nigeria currently ranks fifth in the world in maintaining a comprehensive National Social Register, which includes the details of 19.8 million households, representing over 90 million Nigerians.
He said, “We are proud to say that, worldwide, Nigeria ranks fifth in having a national social register that contains the list of 19.8 million households — which is over 90 million Nigerians — the largest in Africa.”
Hon. Sununu shared that the Ministry’s efforts have been recognized internationally. “For this program, during our study tour in Turkey, when I mentioned the figure, they were all surprised. It means all the families in Turkey — just about 85.6 million people — are equivalent to the total entries in our National Register. So we have done that,” he said.
He further noted that the Ministry has complied with the directives of President Tinubu and the Central Bank of Nigeria by integrating the National Social Register with the National Identification Number (NIN) database. “This has promoted people’s access, transparency, and accountability, and improved financial inclusion because those in rural areas now have both their NIN and bank account numbers,” he said.
Hon. Sununu also revealed that 8,804,000 Nigerians have received at least one tranche of the Conditional Cash Transfer program, with many beneficiaries receiving up to three tranches. He said, “Each tranche is paid monthly. In any moment from now, you will also flag off the next tranche to be issued. This time around, sir, we have resolved to make it public.”
He stressed that transparency and accountability would be key to future disbursements. “The President is doing a lot in reaching out through social responsibilities, but because we are short of telling the public and launching it properly, controversies often arise. So, we will make it public. Each state will know how much it is getting; each local government will know,” he said.
The Minister of State stated that the Ministry has introduced a new initiative called “School Skill 12,” targeting skill acquisition in areas such as automobile technology, computer diagnostics, and solar energy. “We have seen, even in social media, our first group of trainees going out to conduct step-down trainings, especially in Yorubaland, where their friends are now also being trained,” he said.
He also explained that the Ministry is supporting the President’s food security agenda through green farming and agricultural training programs. “We have also looked into agriculture to ensure that the food security agenda of Mr. President is sustained through green farming, by giving training in several fields,” he said.
Hon. Sununu added that the Ministry has approved a National Policy on Cash Transfer to ensure dignity and respect for beneficiaries. “Every Nigerian, whether governmental or non-governmental, giving cash assistance to Citizens, must do so with respect and dignity. People struggling or dying to access palliatives must be brought to an end — it is against the dignity of Nigerians, and the ministry truly stands by that,” he explained.
He further revealed that Nigeria has developed and implemented the National Disability Commitments, which were launched in Germany and have since been adopted at the national and state levels. “We have developed and are currently implementing the National Disability Commitments, launched in Germany, and stepped down through a National Summit. Each level of government, including states, has keyed into it,” he said.
Hon. Sununu disclosed that following the reduction in USAID funding, the Ministry is looking inward and collaborating with local and international partners to fill the gap in emergency food transfer programs previously managed by the World Food Programme. “We are working with partners to fill the gap in emergency food transfer programs, previously handled by the World Food Programme, which had covered about 1.3 million Nigerians and over 500,000 children suffering from malnutrition,” he said.
He commended President Tinubu for approving funds to cushion the impact of the funding cut and said the Ministry will soon begin delivery to affected states. “We appreciate Mr. President for approving funds for this program, and very soon, deliveries will be made to affected states to cushion the effect of that withdrawal,” he said.
The Minister emphasized that transparency and accountability remain the foundation of the Ministry’s activities. He noted that the ongoing enrollment in the National Social Register is designed to improve the accuracy and reliability of data used in social welfare programs.
Hon. Sununu also acknowledged the efforts of the National Commission for Migrants, Refugees, and Internally Displaced Persons for their collaboration with international partners. “Through this, we have repatriated over 7,000 Nigerians from the Chad Republic to Borno State. We are also working to bring back those in Niger Republic,” he said.
He stated that the Ministry, through the Commission, also commissioned the Renewed Hope Resettlement City in Nasarawa State. “Through the Commission, we were able to commission — through the First Lady — the Renewed Hope Resettlement City, named after the wife of the President, in Nasarawa State. It is a full city with electricity, water, functional education and healthcare facilities, decent housing, and a road network,” he explained.
Hon. Sununu reiterated that the Ministry’s goal is to serve the Nigerian people effectively and align with President Tinubu’s vision of ensuring that no one is left behind. “These are just a few of our achievements. But I must remind us that the aim of this ministry is to serve effectively, and we must reposition it to achieve the ambition of Mr. President — for every Nigerian to have a dignified way of living, where no one is left behind, and every Nigerian is respected,” he said.
