FG’s $1bn social programme will empower Nigerians — Oluremi Tinubu

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The Federal Government on Wednesday launched a $1bn social protection initiative aimed at moving vulnerable Nigerians from dependence on temporary palliatives to sustainable pathways of economic empowerment and self-reliance.

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The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, stated this at the launch of the Household Prosperity and Empowerment Social Protection Project and four other initiatives designed to strengthen the country’s humanitarian response and poverty reduction architecture.

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Senior Special Assistant on Media to the First Lady, Busola Kukoyi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday titled, ‘FG Launches $1bn HOPE Social Protection Programme.’

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The initiatives were unveiled at an event themed ‘From Palliatives to Pathways.’

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The First Lady said the five initiatives, although serving different purposes, shared the objective of improving the wellbeing of vulnerable individuals, families and communities across the country.

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“Under the leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, our nation is implementing far-reaching reforms to strengthen the economy, lay a solid foundation for sustainable growth, and shared prosperity.

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“As these reforms continue to take effect, we must recognise that, given the size of our population and available resources, many families still face challenges and require our collective support,” she said.

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Tinubu said the Household Prosperity and Empowerment Social Protection Project, known as HOPE-SP, was designed to strengthen the identification of vulnerable households, assess their specific needs and provide appropriate assistance.

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She said the programme would combine immediate stabilisation support with pathways towards economic recovery and independence.

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“The first initiative, the Household Prosperity and Empowerment Social Protection Project, is an important step toward strengthening how to identify and respond to vulnerable households facing various challenges by listening to their specific needs before taking action.

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“It is designed to provide immediate stabilisation assistance while placing the households on a pathway to recovery, empowerment and self-reliance,” she said.

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On the One-Humanitarian-One Poverty Response System, the First Lady said the platform would provide a coordinated national mechanism for responding to humanitarian emergencies, delivering social protection and tackling poverty.

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She said it would also eliminate duplication among government interventions and maintain unified national registries for identifying poor and vulnerable households.

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Tinubu added that the Emergency Cash Transfer Programme would provide rapid financial assistance to households facing economic shocks, while the Ministerial Blueprint would translate the humanitarian and poverty reduction priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda into measurable actions.

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She stressed the need for effective planning and accountability in service delivery.

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The First Lady also described the Humanity First Magazine as a significant component of the initiatives, saying it would document the experiences of citizens whose lives had been transformed through government interventions.

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She commended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, and officials of the ministry for developing the initiatives.

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“I commend the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard M. Doro, and his team for these initiatives that will transform our humanitarian endeavours from temporary assistance to lasting pathways that promote resilience, self-reliance, prosperity and a dignified life for every Nigerian,” she said.

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Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, commended the Federal Government for the initiative, describing it as an important intervention for addressing vulnerability among Nigerians.

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He also stressed the need for continued research into issues relating to identity and national security.

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In his remarks, Doro said the initiatives marked the establishment of a new national architecture for humanitarian intervention and social protection, with the government shifting its emphasis from reactive palliatives to proactive empowerment.

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He said while the administration’s economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy and unification of the foreign exchange market, had improved investor confidence and strengthened government revenues, attention was also being directed towards protecting Nigerians from economic shocks and providing sustainable routes out of poverty.

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The minister said the government’s objective was to move from reactive relief to anticipatory social protection and from merely managing poverty to reducing it.

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He said the new approach would shift the focus from programmes to households and from counting beneficiaries to measuring actual impact.

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Under the new architecture, vulnerable households would be identified, their needs assessed and appropriate interventions provided, after which they would be tracked through a “poverty graduation pathway” towards economic inclusion and self-reliance.

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Doro said the system would be supported by unified data, digital delivery infrastructure, new financing arrangements and real-time poverty intelligence, while strengthening collaboration among federal, state and local governments and development partners.

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He disclosed that existing databases would be integrated into a unified platform anchored on the National Social Register, which currently contains about 20 million households.

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For his part, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, said effective social protection required a whole-of-government approach involving the federal, state and local governments as well as other stakeholders.

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Bagudu noted that the administration’s ambition to build a $1tn economy by 2030 was being accompanied by deliberate efforts to ensure prosperity and economic opportunities reached Nigerians at the grassroots.

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