No fewer than 25 million Nigerians require humanitarian assistance each year, the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, has revealed. He made the statement on Friday in Calabar during the maiden edition of the National Council on Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
Dr. Doro highlighted that about 60 per cent of Nigeria’s population lives in multidimensional poverty, stressing the urgent need to strengthen the capacity of sub-national governments, which remain on the frontline of addressing these challenges.
“Nigeria today faces stark realities. Over 25 million citizens require humanitarian assistance annually, while more than 60 per cent of the population lives in multidimensional poverty. States and local governments are at the frontline of these challenges, and their capacity must be strengthened through financing, skills development, data integration, and institutional support,” he said.
The minister explained that the council’s theme, “Beyond the National: Strengthening Sub-Nationals and Multi-Stakeholder Synergy for a Unified Approach to Humanitarian Response and Poverty Reduction”, directly addresses the need for coordinated and context-specific solutions. He emphasised that Nigeria’s humanitarian and poverty issues could no longer be addressed in silos or through fragmented interventions, but require collective responsibility and coherence across all levels of government and society.
Dr. Doro also introduced the One Humanitarian, One Poverty Reduction System, designed to harmonise interventions, reduce duplication, align humanitarian responses with poverty reduction goals, and ensure all actors operate under a unified national framework.
Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Yusuf Sununu, reaffirmed the government’s openness to innovative solutions to improve citizens’ welfare. Dr. Peter Odey, Deputy Governor of Cross River, pledged the state’s commitment to supporting inclusive and sustainable humanitarian actions within available resources.
The council meeting underlined the urgent need for strengthened local capacities, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and an integrated national approach to mitigate Nigeria’s humanitarian and poverty challenges.
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