Nigeria’s Humanitarian Minister says increased funding required to execute more projects
By Our reporter
Aug. 16, 2020 – Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management and Social Development has solicited an increase in her budgetary allocation to enable her execute most of the projects under her purview.
Farouq who was represented by Mrs Dorothy Nwodo, Director Disaster Management in the Ministry made the call during a thanksgiving mass at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Abuja in commemoration of her first year in office.
The Minister said more funding would be required particularly for the 5 National Social Investment Programmes (NSIPs).
She said the Ministry also requires funds to set its office space to use, noting that they have been allocated an office space but are yet to move in for lack of funds.
Farouq said the Ministry has lived to its mandates in responding to the growing humanitarian, disaster management and response, social investment Programme among others.
She revealed that during the lockdown, occasioned by COVID-19, President Mohammadu Buhari ordered that names of one million poor people be added to the national register for poor and vulnerable citizens for empowerment.
The Minister further appealed to Nigerians especially those complaining of being sidelined in the distribution of palliatives, to be patient, noting that with time, things would fall into place.
"The challenges we have now is that we are yet to have an office. Although we have been given a place but we have been working on it assiduously to get it ready. We need funds.
"There are great work to be done but funding is a challenge. We are looking forward that the Federal Government will increase budgetary allocation for us to be able to do what we have been asked to do.
"Nigerians are complaining because they do not have the information. We are trying our best to give out information.
“The national social register is open for those who need assistance especially those people who have been captured and gone through the process before being selected, receive the fund.
"During the lockdown, the President asked us what we can do to help the downtrodden. And he said we should increase the national social register to one million. It does not mean that you are a beneficiary.
“Because those beneficiary under the already existing register are those sponsored by the World Bank.
“We decided to find a way to capture the President's directive in registering about 1 million people that are downtrodden.
The artisans and we have an office doing it which is the National Safety Network Office,” Farouq said