President Tinubu Is Determined To Lift 133 Million Nigerians Out Of Poverty – Edu

The newly sworn-in Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, has assumed duty after her inauguration at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Speaking on Monday at a meeting with heads of agencies under the ministry, Edu said the Bola Tinubu-led federal government is committed to lifting 133 million Nigerians out of poverty.

The former Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said many citizens will be brought out of poverty through different interventions and initiatives aimed at reducing the poverty level in the nation.

She assured Nigerians that all the interventions and initiatives would be open and transparent, adding that accountability will be her watchword for the next four years.

She said, “What is most important is that we will keep our focus on lifting 133 million Nigerians out of poverty. We can do it in phases, one step at a time because with determination and strong will, nothing is impossible.

“We will also achieve the feat with the strong political backing from His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu and every member of the cabinet.

“We will play down on politics; we are here to face the real business of governance.”

The former Health Commissioner in Cross River also said all hands must be on deck to address the rate of poverty in the country.

She said: “Different sources of data suggest that we have a population of 200 million Nigerians, which I think we are more than that.

“Out of this population, the sources indicated that 136 million are extremely poor, and that is unacceptable.

“We need to bring smiles back to the faces of Nigerians. We must reach out to those who are underserved and renew their hope. While doing this, we must ensure that we will increase our efforts, be very sincere, transparent and accountable.”

In his remark, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, assured Edu that the staff would work with her as a team to deliver on the mandate of the administration.