The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced its plan to establish ‘humanitarian hubs’ in all the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the country, as part of its efforts to alleviate poverty and hunger among millions of Nigerians.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, disclosed this when she received a delegation from the World Food Programme (WFP) in her office in Abuja.
She said that the humanitarian hubs would enable the ministry to reach those who are most in need of humanitarian assistance quickly and efficiently under the zero hunger initiative.
Dr. Edu said that Nigeria is facing a multidimensional poverty challenge, with over 133 million Nigerians living below the poverty line. She said that the ministry is constantly evolving ways to address this challenge and improve the living conditions of Nigerians.
She said that one of the projects that the ministry has initiated is the ‘Zero Hunger’ programme, which aims to ensure that no Nigerian goes hungry by 2030. She said that the programme would involve collaboration with various stakeholders, including the WFP, to provide food security and nutrition to vulnerable Nigerians.
She also said that the ministry is concerned about the plight of refugees in Nigeria, especially those from neighbouring countries who have fled from conflicts and crises. She said that Nigeria currently hosts over 80,000 refugees, with over 40,000 registered in her home state alone.
She urged the WFP team to key into the zero hunger initiative by working with her ministry to achieve results. She commended the WFP for its support and partnership with Nigeria in addressing humanitarian issues.
The Country Director of WFP Nigeria, David Stevenson, said that the agency is willing to support Nigeria’s ‘Zero Hunger’ programme under the ministry. He said that the WFP has earmarked $2.5 billion to fight hunger in Nigeria in the next five years and has already captured 2.1 million Nigerians as target beneficiaries of the programme.
He said that he was impressed by the minister’s leadership and vision for the ministry. He said that he was interested in the idea of humanitarian hubs in every LGA in the country and how the WFP could support them through buying food locally and assisting in cash transfer and food distribution. He said that these were very impressive innovations.
He also praised the minister for her passion and commitment to humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation. He said that he looked forward to working with her and her team to achieve the goals of the ‘Zero Hunger’ programme and other humanitarian interventions in Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Special Assistant to the Minister on Media and Publicity, Rasheed Zubair.
