By Chimezie Godfrey
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq has said that the government is set to address poverty in all of its multi-dimensional forms through formulating and coordinating social development policies and programmes.
Farouk pointed out that this will be achieved through collaboration with other MDAs while actively engaging the private sector to empower Nigerian youths.
She gave the assurances Thursday in Abuja where she visited Barwa community in the FCT in commemoration of the “International Day For the Eradication of Poverty’ tagged “Empower Children, their Families, and Communities to End Poverty.”
She revealed that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development has made poverty eradication a fundamental part of its mandate and will drive the fulfilment of President Buhari’s vision to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
“As we celebrate this year’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty we are in Barwa community not as experts who have all the answers or more privileged people but as fellow travelers and learners willing to engage children and adults.
“We are seizing the opportunity to provide a different approach to poverty elimination which involves placing poor children and their families at the center of decision making and formulation of sustainable programmes and interventions that will lift them out of poverty without moving them away from their communities.
“In this way, the entire community will be positively impacted and models used can be replicated,” she explained.
She promised that the ministry will work with selected teenagers from the community to help them develope positive mind-sets and values while providing skill acquisition and business skills programmes over the next couple of months.
“We are optimistic that one year from now some young people from this community would have been lifted out of poverty and able to fend for themselves based on our engagement with them, ” she said.
She appreciated the Dakachi of Barwa, Chief Monday Kogi and members of the community for a warm welcome and urged them to take advantage of the opportunities that will be offered to them to eradicate poverty.
Chief Kogi who thanked the minister for her kind gestures, appealed for government’s assistance to make the community a secured place.
He further appealed to government to provide good roads, hospital, and a befitting palace for the Paramount ruler of the community.
Dignitaries who joined the minister in marking the occasion include minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Minister of Mines and Steel, Olamilekan Adegbite, among others.