According to Beta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, the funding allotted to her ministry in the 2024 budget was insufficient to combat poverty in the nation.
The Minister made this claim on Tuesday when she appeared before Senator Idiat Adebule’s Joint National Assembly Committee on Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, along with representatives from her ministry and parastalas under it, to defend her budget for 2024.
She said that in order to offset the effects of inflation, her ministry was granted an overhead ceiling of N532.5 billion, or a 28% increase over the 2023 budget.
She pointed out that it is important to recognize that the 28% increase in the overhead ceiling does not correspond with the current economy’s inflation rate of 27.33%.
On the other hand, Edu stated, “The capital budget ceiling was lowered, representing a 71% reduction, from N3.7 billion in 2022 to N1.328316 billion in 2023.
Thus, there was a 71% decrease in 2022 and 2023.
“However, the meager capital ceiling of N1.535 billion, which represents an increase over the current year’s budget, is in no way consistent with the ministry’s headquarters’ mandate to reduce poverty in Nigeria.”
“To put it plainly, there was an over 71% reduction between 2022 and 2023, so the minimal increase between 2023 and 2024 does not match with the mandate which we have been given and what is expected of us,” the minister continued.
From this vantage point, I will respectfully and earnestly implore the chairman, co-chair, and members of this august Committee to consider Nigeria as a nation. It is our responsibility to address poverty head-on in a sincere manner. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu genuinely wants all Nigerians to live free from poverty, and that is something you can learn from me and my team while we work under his protection.
We would not be able to fulfill that mandate at all if the budget wasn’t adequate.
“It will be words that would not be marched with actions,” she continued. I am glad that you represent senatorial zones and constituencies. The government in your constituencies is expected to fulfill many of their genuine demands, and I applaud that.
This is the reason this committee has to go above and beyond the board to make sure that the current budget that was provided to the Ministry and its agencies is thoroughly examined, that it is reexamined, and that something more reasonable and appropriate is implemented.
“The ministry has a number of special projects that I would prefer not to discuss. We plan to use these special projects as agencies working with us to achieve the goal.”
The minister bemoaned even more that the budget had left out something extremely important.
The President, who also serves as the chairman of the Federal Executive Council, recently approved the establishment of the Humanitarian and Poverty Eradication Trust Fund, as she informed the Senate.
The Federal Government is anticipated to contribute 30% of the total expected funding for this trust fund, with the remaining funds coming from development partners and donor organizations.
Additionally, 30% comes from the private sector, and 10% comes from other extremely creative funds for resource mobilization, with which we have already begun working.
In a similar vein, 10% is anticipated from additional highly creative resource mobilization funds, for which we have already begun discussions during our more than 111 days in office.
“We have been actively advocating for the inflow of these funds into Nigeria to support the execution of the programs that we will be implementing in close collaboration with you by contacting your constituents,” she continued.
Nigeria must, nevertheless, fulfill its end of the agreement. In addition to serving as a draw for those who should be bringing in the remaining 1%, this will make it easier to reach the impoverished and ultimately end poverty in our nation.
“We beg this august Committee to assist us in securing the inclusion of these budget lines along with appropriation for this budget line when you present your proposal to the appropriations committee and, naturally, to the ultimate stage where the gavel falls on the 2024 Appropriation.
“I would want to beg that as an executive we would have to.”
Idiat Adebule, the committee chairman, questioned the minister about whether or not the Trust Fund budget was presented during the budget planning phase.
Although it was given to the Ministry of Budget, according to Beta Edu, it was not taken into account in the results her ministry received.
Edu stated, “We are asked to bring this in as a memo to the committee to see how they can consider it as it was clearly stated as an omission.”
When the committee members inquired as to whether Beta had the memo, Beta said that she did.
In response to a question about whether she had discussed it with the other minister for the budget, the minister said that she had.
Edu claimed to be with the Minister of Budgets and to have consulted with both the office and the minister.
“Obviously, we weren’t able to view the copy that was sent to the committee, so based on the findings, we learned that the copy that was sent to you didn’t have that reflected,” she stated.
“Based on the fact that we are interested in the funds coming from the donor agency, we are taking that letter and presenting it to the appropriations Committee to see how it goes.”
“We would like to state that you have the authority to hold us responsible for the complete execution of any funds allocated to our ministry,” Edu said.
