By Paul Joseph
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening coordination across humanitarian interventions and expanding investment in social protection programmes to address poverty, insecurity, and humanitarian challenges in the country.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard M. Doro stated this during a courtesy visit by members of Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access to the ministry’s headquarters late Tuesday in Abuja.
Dr. Doro said the ministry operates an open-door engagement framework designed to encourage collaboration among government institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, and the private sector in improving service delivery to vulnerable Nigerians.
He described poverty as one of Nigeria’s most pressing national challenges, noting that multidimensional deprivation in healthcare, education, housing, food security, and livelihoods continues to affect millions of citizens.
According to the minister, the situation has been compounded by insecurity, displacement, conflict, and climate-related shocks, which continue to place pressure on emergency response systems and hinder long-term development planning.
Dr. Doro explained that poverty and insecurity are closely linked, stressing that unemployment and deprivation often increase vulnerability to crime and instability. He added that strengthening social protection systems remains essential not only for reducing poverty but also for promoting national stability and resilience.
The minister also 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 noted that fragmented interventions, weak data integration, and uncoordinated social registers have limited effective targeting and resource optimisation, insisting that Nigeria’s major challenge lies not in the absence of interventions but in poor coordination.
According to him, the new framework will deepen institutional collaboration, strengthen data integration, and establish unified delivery systems to ensure interventions reach intended beneficiaries while reducing leakages and improving transparency.
Dr. Doro further stated 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 continue supporting efforts aimed at building a more coordinated and impactful humanitarian and social protection architecture in Nigeria.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access, Foyinsolami Akinjayeju, said that although financial inclusion in Nigeria has risen to about 74 per cent, progress driven largely by digital payments has yet to translate into stronger financial resilience for many Nigerians.
She identified persistent gaps in savings, insurance uptake, pension participation, and access to affordable credit, especially among women and rural populations.
Mrs. Akinjayeju advocated a shift 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 Valentine Ezulu and Janet McDickson, alongside members of the EFinA delegation.
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