The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, says the Federal Government is moving towards a unified and transparent poverty response system for proper coordination and effective service delivery.
HOPE-CT is the federal government’s main poverty response under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, with the aim of lifting 50 million Nigerians out of poverty.
Doro said this in a keynote address in Uyo during an engagement with beneficiaries of the HOPE Conditional Cash Transfer programme in Akwa Ibom.
The minister said the engagement was to assess whether interventions were reaching intended households and improving livelihoods.
“Government must assess whether support is reaching intended households and improving livelihoods.
“This visit is also to strengthen accountability, deepen awareness, and guide future policy direction.
“Since assuming office, I have been guided by a firm conviction; interventions must not only be designed in offices, they must be validated in communities and experienced by the people,” Doro said.
According to him, the HOPE – CT Programme has so far reached 9.47 million households across the nation.
He, however, said some Nigerians might not be aware of the availability of such programmes, which are specifically designed for their benefit.
He said that the ministry was working towards a one humanitarian in one poverty response system to ensure interventions are coordinated, transparent and effective.
He urged beneficiaries of the programme to be honest in giving feedback to help guide future policy decisions and strengthen programme delivery across the country.
The minister commended President Bola Tinubu for placing the welfare of Nigerians at the centre of governance through the Renewed Hope vision.
In his remarks, Gov Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, lauded the various initiatives of the federal government aimed at lifting Nigerian households out of poverty.
Eno, represented by the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Princess Emem Ibanga, noted that if sustained, such efforts would make a huge difference in the national economy.
Eno said that efforts by the federal government would help to strengthen the existing collaboration with the state to ensure poverty alleviation.
He commended the federal government for its continued commitment to improving the welfare of vulnerable groups through targeted humanitarian programmes, which have given them reasons to live and hope for a better future.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Philomena Asuquo, from Uruan LGA thanked the federal government for the cash transfer initiative, expressing delight over the gesture, saying that it had been helpful to her household.
