By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
The NPower beneficiaries have added their voice to the growing chorus of opposition against the alleged plan by the federal government to scrap the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
In a statement signed by Nazifi Mohammed Abubakar, President of the NPower Beneficiaries, Kano State Chapter, the group expressed strong reservations about the reported plan, citing the ministry’s critical role in addressing humanitarian crises, reducing poverty, and promoting social welfare.
According to Abubakar, the ministry’s formation was a strategic move to streamline and coordinate humanitarian interventions, disaster response, and social welfare programs in the country. Scrapping it would undermine the government’s efforts to address Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges.
He added that the Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Ministry is the only agency of government that can project the good image of the president Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led administration considering how closer the ministry is to the average Nigerian..
The group also avered that the ministry oversees various social investment programs, including the N-Power scheme, Conditional Cash Transfer, and the Homegrown School Feeding Programme, warning that scrapping the ministry would lead to a lack of proper coordination of these programs, potentially perpetuating corruption and mismanagement within the agencies.
He said, “Nigeria is grappling with numerous crises, including internal conflicts, natural disasters, and a rising number of internally displaced persons. The ministry plays a vital role in managing these crises, and its scrapping would create a vacuum that would exacerbate the situation.
“The absence of this central coordinating body would allow corruption and mismanagement to thrive, undermining the effectiveness of these programs,” Abubakar stated.
“We urge the federal government to reconsider the alleged plan and instead strengthen the ministry’s efforts to address the country’s socio-economic challenges.”
The N-Power beneficiaries also throw their weight behind other concerned groups, including civil society organizations and humanitarian experts, who earlier called on President Tinubu to rethink the decision.
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