Dr Betta Edu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, has stated that the Federal Government is determined to raise 133 million Nigerians out of poverty.
Edu said the FG can only do this via various interventions and efforts designed to reduce poverty.
He stated this while speaking on Monday in Abuja at a meeting with heads of agencies under the ministry.
Edu promised Nigerians that she would work to guarantee openness and accountability throughout her tenure as minister.
According to her:
“What is most important is that we will keep our focus on lifting 133 million Nigerians out of poverty,” she said.
“We can do it in phases, a step at a time because with determination and strong will, nothing is impossible.
“We will also achieve the feat with the strong political backing from His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu and every member of the cabinet.
“We will play down on politics, we are here to face the real business of governance.”
The minister also said all resources would be deployed to combat the rate of poverty in the country.
“Different sources of data suggest that we have a population of 200 million Nigerians, which I think we are more than that.
“Out of this population, the sources indicated that 136 million are extremely poor and that is unacceptable.
“We need to bring smiles back to the faces of Nigerians. We must reach out to those who are underserved and renew their hope.
“While doing this, we must ensure that we will increase our efforts, be very sincere, transparent and accountable.”
cc: Vanguard Ng
