From 2020 to 2024, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation had a total budgetary allocation of N2.38tn, as revealed by data from the budget office. This timeframe witnessed changes in nomenclature, initially established by former President Buhari as the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development in August 2019. President Tinubu’s administration in May 2023 later renamed it the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Budget allocations for each year varied, with 2024 recording the highest at N532.5bn. The breakdown of allocations to the ministry and its agencies over the years indicated varying distributions among entities like the National Emergency Management Agency, National Social Investment Office, North-East Development Commission, National Commission for Refugees, and National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
In 2023, the ministry and its agencies received a total appropriation of N426bn, a figure criticized by the suspended minister, Betta Edu. She argued before the Joint National Assembly Committee that the N532.5bn allocated in the 2024 budget was insufficient to combat poverty nationwide, emphasizing the need for additional funding due to inflation.
Amidst the unfolding events, the United Global Resolve for Peace, a civil society group, commended President Tinubu’s decisive action in suspending Minister Edu. The group acknowledged the President’s responsiveness to civil society concerns and advocated for the comprehensive reformation of the entire humanitarian ministry. This call aligns with the President’s establishment of a panel to reform social programs, emphasizing the necessity of measures to enhance the effectiveness and integrity of poverty alleviation efforts and societal needs addressed by the ministry.
