Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, says the Ministry has been mandated to create 2 million jobs in 2025 and train 50,000 unemployed graduates and non graduates under the Skill2Wealth Initiative.
The Minister disclosed this during the presentation of the 2025 budget proposal of the Ministry to members of the two chambers of the National Assembly.
Although the Minister did not say how these 2million jobs will be created, he, however, said that already the Ministry has procured starter packs that will enable over 110,000 beneficiaries to embark on self-reliant entrepreneural ventures.
According to him, humanitarian needs have increased due to climate related disasters, conflicts and man- made crises, including flooding, fire disasters and insurgency attacks that have displaced millions.
He also noted that global humanitarian support from donor countries to Nigeria have dropped, as most donors were now targeting the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine.
Yilwatda appealed to members of the National Assembly that the capital budget of N4.6billon will not be able to address the ever increasing humanitarian challenges, to reduce poverty and address acute malnutrition.
He said for the Ministry to accomplish its presidential priorities to reduce the proportion of Nigerians living in multi- dimensional poverty by 50% in four years and create 2 million Jobs in 2025, there was need to create additional budget lines as intervention fund to resolve the humanitarian and poverty reduction challenges.
” I appeal to you to provide the necessary support for these programmes. Together we can make a lasting impact on millions of lives and secure a brighter future for our country in line with Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda” he stated.
The Minister also told the lawmakers that the N8.8 billion capital budget earmarked for the National Social Investment Programme Agency with no overhead was grossly inadequate and also appealed for increase in the budget of the Agency to achieve its presidential mandate.
Responding, the Chairperson Senate Committee on Humanitarian Affairs, Senator Idiat Oluranti Adebule and other members of the Committee promised to look into the proposed budgets of the Ministry and NSIPA.
