N532.5bn Budget Too Small To Fight Poverty, Minister Laments

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Beta Edu, has said that the 2024 budget for the ministry to fight poverty was too poor.

Beta said the amount allocated to her ministry in the 2024 budget was not capable of fighting poverty in the country.

The Minister stated this on Tuesday when she led officials of her ministry and parastatals under it, to defend their 2024 budgetary estimates before the Joint National Assembly Committee of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, chaired by Senator Idiat Adebule.

She said her ministry was given an overhead ceiling of N532.5bn, which represents a 28 per cent increase over the 2023 budgetary provision, to cushion the effects of inflation.

“It is pertinent to note that the 28 per cent increase in the overhead ceiling is not commensurate to the 27.33 per cent inflationary rate in the economy today.

“Conversely, the capital budget ceiling was reduced from N3.7bn in 2022 to N1.3bn in 2023 and it represents 71 per cent reduction.

“So, in the 2022 and 2023, there was a 71% reduction.

“However, from the pittance capital ceiling of N1.535b, which is an increase from the current year’s budget does not in any way match with the mandate of the ministry’s headquarters in order to shrink poverty in Nigeria.

“Simply put, there was an over 71% reduction between 2022 and 2023, so the minimal increase between 2023 and 2024 does not in any way match with the mandate which we have been given and what is expected of us.

“At this point, I will plead humbly and sincerely with the chairman, co-chair and members of this great Committee that as we look into Nigeria as a nation, the burden lies on us to actually tackle the issue of poverty with sincerity. One thing you can take from myself and my team working under the guidance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is that he truly wants Nigerians to be out of poverty. Except the budget is appropriate for it, we would be completely unable to meet that mandate,” she said.

Speaking further, Beta said it would be words that would not be marched with actions.

“I am happy that you represent constituencies and senatorial zones. A lot is being expected of you from the people in your constituencies to meet their real sincere demands.

“That is the reason why this committee must go beyond board to ensure that the present budget which was given to the Ministry and agencies is carefully looked into, reconsidered and something more reasonable and in keeping with the realities on ground is done.

“The ministry has several special projects which I will not like to mention and we intend to use these special projects as agencies under us to meet the target.

“Something very serious was omitted. If you followed the news closely, the President, who is the chairman of the Federal Executive Council, recently approved the creation of Humanitarian and Poverty Eradication Trust Fund.

“This Trust is expected to have contribution from the Federal Government 30% counterpart funding which is supposed to come from donor agencies as well as development partners.

“We also have 30% coming from the private sector and then, 10% from other very innovative funds of resource mobilization which we have already started engagement

“Similarly, 10% is expected from other very innovative funds of resource mobilization for which we have already started engagements in the over 111 days in office,” she added.

Beta said further: “We have been engaging massively for these funds to come into Nigeria to support the implementation of programmes which we will be implementing with you at the front burner by reaching out to your constituents.”

The chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Idiat Adebule, asked whether the Minister presented the budget for the Trust Fund at the budget planning stage.

Beta said it was presented to the Ministry of Budget and Planning but that it was not reflected in what her ministry got back.

“This was clearly stated as an omission and that is why we are asked to bring in, as a memo, to the committee to see how they can consider it,” the Minister added.

The committee members asked whether she had the memo with her, and Beta responded in the affirmative.

The Minister was also asked whether she had discussed the issue with the Minister for Budget and Planning and she answered in the affirmative.

Betta Edu said she was with the Budget Minister and that she engaged him and also the Budget Office on the development.

She said, “Of course we didn’t get to see the copy which was sent to the committee, so from the findings we got to know that the copy that got to you did not have that reflected.

“Because we are interested in the money that is coming from the donor agency, it is on the basis of this that we are taking that letter and we will make presentation to the Appropriation Committee to see how it goes.

“We would want to say that you can hold us accountable for full implementation of whatever is appropriated to our ministry,” the Minister added.

Leadership.