Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening coordination across humanitarian interventions and expanding investment in social protection programmes as part of ongoing efforts to tackle poverty, insecurity, and humanitarian challenges across the country. This was contained in a statement signed by Janet McDickson Noah, Director, Information and Public Relations.
The Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard M. Doro stated this during a courtesy visit by members of Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFinA) to the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
Dr. Doro noted that the Ministry operates an open-door engagement framework that promotes collaboration among government institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, and the private sector to improve service delivery to vulnerable Nigerians.
Describing poverty as one of Nigeria’s most pressing national challenges, the Minister highlighted the persistence of multidimensional deprivation in healthcare, education, housing, food security, and livelihoods. He explained that the situation has been further worsened by insecurity, displacement, conflict, and climate-related shocks, which continue to place enormous pressure on emergency response systems and undermine long-term development planning.
According to the Minister, poverty and insecurity remain closely interconnected, as deprivation and unemployment often heighten vulnerability to crime and instability. He stressed that strengthening social protection systems is critical not only for poverty reduction but also for promoting national stability and resilience.
Dr. Doro further highlighted ongoing reforms under the Ministry’s One Humanitarian and one Poverty Response System, an initiative aimed at harmonising interventions across agencies, eliminating duplication, and improving efficiency, accountability, and impact.
He observed that fragmented interventions, weak data integration, and uncoordinated social registers have continued to limit effective targeting and resource optimisation, noting that Nigeria’s challenge is not the absence of interventions, but the lack of effective coordination.
The Minister explained that the new framework would deepen institutional collaboration, strengthen data integration, and establish unified delivery systems to ensure that interventions reach intended beneficiaries while reducing leakages and improving transparency. He added that despite resistance to reforms, the government remains committed to building a more accountable and technology-driven humanitarian response system capable of delivering measurable results.
He also called on development partners, donor agencies, civil society organisations, and the private sector to sustain support for efforts aimed at building a more coordinated and impactful humanitarian and social protection architecture in Nigeria.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of EFinA, Mrs. Foyinsolami Akinjayeju stated that, although financial inclusion in Nigeria has risen to approximately 74 per cent, progress driven largely by digital payments has yet to translate into stronger financial resilience for many Nigerians.
She noted persistent gaps in savings, insurance uptake, pension participation, and access to affordable credit, particularly among women and rural populations. Mrs. Akinjayeju therefore advocated a transition from access-focused financial inclusion to meaningful usage, supported by stronger Digital Public Infrastructure and improved coordination among regulators, financial institutions, and development partners.
The meeting was attended by Directors and senior officials of the Ministry, including Mr. Valentine Ezulu and Mrs. Janet McDickson, aides of the Honourable Minister, as well as members of the EFinA delegation who accompanied the Chief Executive Officer to the engagement.
END
