FEC Approves Framework to Unify Humanitarian Aid, Poverty Reduction Initiatives

• Adopts OHOPRS to address duplication, gaps in assistance

Sunday Ehigiator

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the One Humanitarian One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS), a national framework designed to integrate humanitarian assistance, social protection and poverty reduction under a coordinated system.

The approval was secured on Wednesday following the presentation of a memorandum by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard M. Doro, at the Council meeting in Abuja.

According to a statement issued by the ministry yesterday, the framework is a key component of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and is intended to provide a coordinated approach to lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

The ministry said humanitarian interventions, social protection programmes and poverty reduction initiatives had operated largely in isolation across government agencies, development partners and humanitarian organisations, resulting in duplication of efforts, gaps in coverage and limited pathways for vulnerable households to achieve long-term recovery.

It explained that OHOPRS was designed to address these challenges by placing households at the centre of planning, service delivery and impact measurement.

Under the framework, households affected by emergencies, including conflict-related displacement, would continue to receive immediate assistance such as food, shelter and healthcare, while also being connected to social protection programmes, education, skills acquisition and livelihood support.

The ministry said the approach was intended to ensure that emergency relief served as the starting point for recovery, resilience and eventual economic self-reliance.

“For too long, humanitarian assistance, social protection and poverty reduction have operated as separate interventions.

“OHOPRS brings them together, so that vulnerable Nigerians are not simply assisted during emergencies but supported along a structured pathway towards recovery, resilience and economic independence,” Doro said.

The minister said the FEC approval had moved OHOPRS from a nationally adopted framework into the formal architecture of the Federal Government.

He added that the success of the initiative would be measured by how effectively interventions worked together to improve the lives of Nigerians, rather than by the number of programmes undertaken.

The framework was developed with technical input from development partners and other stakeholders during a workshop held at the United Nations House in Abuja in March 2026.

It was subsequently unveiled on August 26, 2026, by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, alongside the minister, at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.

Following the FEC approval, the ministry said it would work with relevant government institutions, subnational authorities, development partners and other stakeholders to implement the framework.

The ministry did not provide a specific implementation timeline or details of the funding arrangements for the system in the statement.

OHOPRS is expected to provide a coordinated structure for humanitarian response and poverty reduction interventions, with the aim of improving coverage, reducing duplication and connecting vulnerable Nigerians to longer-term support.