Minister: FG’s Strategic Reforms Will Address Poverty, Social Vulnerabilities

Emma Okonji and Agnes Ekebuike

The Minister of Humanitarian and Poverty Reduction, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has said the federal government’s strategic reforms and interventions enshrined in its National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) would help reduce poverty in Nigeria, address social vulnerabilities, and foster sustainable growth.

Yilwatda, who said this yesterday on ARISE News Channels, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspaper, emphasised the administration’s commitment to reducing poverty, and addressing social vulnerabilities across the country. 

With over 24 million Nigerians that slipped into poverty between 2018 and 2023, according to World Bank data, Yilwatda described the data as “staggering” and highlighted the compounded challenges of climate change, flooding, desertification, and insurgency, as the major crisis that faced Nigeria within the period.

This, he said, adversely impacted agricultural produce, and left many Nigerians hungry and vulnerable. 

The Minister highlighted significant strides of the government in addressing the issues, which include the conditional cash transfer programme embarked upon by the federal government. According to him, between October and November 2024, the ministry disbursed payments to five million beneficiaries, explaining that efforts to ensure transparency have reduced the number of eligible households to 1.4 million, pending digital identity registration. 

“To enhance accountability, the ministry has digitised processes, enabling geo-tagging of beneficiaries and monitoring their socioeconomic status. We are eliminating manual cash distributions. Every payment is now traceable to individual accounts, ensuring funds reach the intended recipients,” Yilwatda explained, adding that government aims to expand the conditional cash transfer programme to 15 million households in 2025, with each recipient receiving N75,000.

“This initiative is coupled with financial literacy training to enable beneficiaries to invest in small businesses or agriculture, thereby promoting self-reliance.

“In addition to direct cash transfers, the ministry has launched youth development programmes. Over 100,000 tools and equipment in sectors such as auto mechanics, baking, and renewable energy have been procured to empower unemployed youth,” Yilwatda further said.

He disclosed that the programmes were expected to support 500,000 households and stimulate micro and small-scale enterprises across the country. 

“The ministry is also collaborating with private sector players, such as Gag Motors, to integrate young Nigerians into the workforce, particularly in industries with growth potential.

“We are connecting unemployed youth to market opportunities and private-sector employers to ensure sustainable employment,” he further noted. 

For Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), he said, “the ministry is cultivating 10,000 hectares of farmland in insurgency-affected areas. Beneficiaries will receive farm inputs, with the government purchasing 70 percent of their produce to provide both food and cash support.” 

Addressing trust deficits, the Minister acknowledged concerns over past corruption within the ministry, and assured Nigerians of increased transparency through digitised processes and collaboration with international partners to monitor project implementation. 

Despite the recent public criticisms on budget allocations, including the N300 million disbursed for furniture alone, Yilwatda said the disbursement was necessary to furnish the newly allocated offices and agencies under the ministry. He explained that 99 percent of the N550 billion budget was earmarked for direct interventions. 

The Minister expressed optimism about the government’s multi-dimensional approach to poverty reduction, stressing that the initiatives will empower Nigerians to achieve self-sufficiency.