Governor Zullum Receives Humanitarian Affairs & Poverty Alleviation Minister in Borno ..... Says "We Will Work With You To Succeed On The Renewed Hope Agenda.

Prof Zullum presently a souvenir to Dr Edu at the Government House, Maiduguri.

"The Ministry is committed to returning refugees and migrants by 2024, so structures must be put in to place to repatriate and reintegrate persons back into the communities." Betta Edu.

..... Says "It is important that the Ministry renews its partnership with the State and leverage on their successes."

It was indeed Renewed Hope for the good people of Borno state as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu arrived Maiduguri, the Borno state capital for a two-day working visit, her first official visit outside Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory since assuming office.

Dr Edu, who was received at the Government House by the Executive Governor of the State, Professor Babagana Zullum, thanked His Excellency for the grand reception and for the excellent work he is doing in Borno State that is bringing peace, development and stability to the people and the region. 

She informed the Governor that Borno State is the first state she is visiting in her capacity as Minister since her swearing-in. She said this is to show how important and strategic the state is to achieving results on humanitarian response and ending poverty in Nigeria as well as stabilizing the North East in particular and Nigeria.

Dr. Edu reiterated President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s commitment to minimizing the humanitarian crisis and eliminating poverty in Nigeria, in fulfilment of the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the SDG 1 & 2. 

"It is important that the Ministry renews its partnership with the State and leverage on their successes and experience to find better ways of doing things. The Ministry will not only aim at eliminating poverty, but it shall also provide safety nets to prevent Nigerians from going under the poverty line". 

She also informed the Governor that the Ministry is committed to returning refugees and migrants by 2024, so structures must be put in to place to repatriate and reintegrate persons back into the communities.

Furthermore, she informed the Action Governor of her plans to clean up and expand the National Social Register to enable it accommodate more people in other to meet target, while the Ministry also intends to establish humanitarian hubs in all Local Government Areas as a deliberate policy of targeting the grassroots, the rural poor that are more in large numbers in communities and villages. 

The Ministry, according to Dr Edu, shall also deliberately create job opportunities for the youth on a short and long-term basis, give micro-credits, vocational trainings and many more.

Commending the Governor, Dr Betta Edu encouraged the Governor to continue giving leadership and support at the state level so that the overall objective of eliminating humanitarian crises, hunger, and poverty will be attained.

His Excellency, Prof. Babagana Zullum

Responding, the Governor congratulated the Honourable Minister, Dr. Betta Edu on her appointment as Minster and welcomed her to Borno State. He assured her of the commitment of the state towards addressing humanitarian issues and poverty. 

He however stated that the state has three priorities pillar for collaboration, which includes:

i. Poverty: There is a nexus between poverty and insecurity. So once poverty is addressed, insecurity becomes addressed.

ii. IDPs: It is not sustainable to keep displaced persons in camps. Other issues with IDP camps are population growth and gender-based violence. So, the State Government houses displaced persons for only a short time as transit facilities while they try to provide durable solutions from humanitarian to sustainable solutions. They create SME opportunities for displaced persons.

iii. Refugees: He said that there are over 200,000 refugees in Niger, 60,000 in Cameroon, and 24,000 in Chad. So, the state must work with the Ministry to bring these refugees back home. They need houses, money, and jobs.

The Governor informed the Honourable Minister of the existence of the Presidential Committee, which is to return and reintegrate these refugees, noting that the Vice President is the Chair, and although the work of the Committee has gone far, the Ministry has a very huge role to play in that committee. 

On the Humanitarian Development Partners, the Governor said they must understand that their role is to complement what Government does and not to take the lead in responsibilities of Government, Also, the priorities of Government must be their priorities too so as to key into government priorities. 

Speaking on the National Social Register, the Governor said that states should have the opportunity to owning the register because the poverty index is continuously changing. 

He thanked Dr. Edu for visiting and later on presented her with a souvenir from the state government.