Betta Edu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, has reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to reducing Nigeria’s humanitarian crisis and poverty.
Rasheed Olanrewaju, the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, made the announcement on Sunday.
The Federal Government has taken over the Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operations (YESSO) and Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) Programs, according to the announcement, with the start of phase two of the programs.
According to NAN, the Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operations is a social safety net effort that improves disadvantaged and vulnerable youths’ access to employment opportunities.
In addition, the program delivers targeted cash transfers to Nigeria’s poor, vulnerable, and internally displaced people (IDPs).
Similarly, the Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) provides grants for community and vulnerable group human capital development in order for them to embark on various development goals.
It is concerned with education, health, rural electrification, potable water supply, transportation, socioeconomic development, the environment/natural resources, and community housing.
The World Bank, according to the statement, also funded the programs.
According to the announcement, President Tinubu has outlined the World Bank’s sustainability plans following the completion of Phase One of the YESSO and CSDP in the YESSO and CSDP 2.0 (Phase Two) through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
It argued that there was no need for what it considered a deceptive article by a national daily on the Minister’s recent appointments to the programs.
It also stated that the programs had not been totally phased out or terminated, as the paper incorrectly said.
“The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation under Dr Edu deemed it fit to put proper structures in place before the smooth take-off of the second phase of the programme to ensure goal delivery and attract even other development partners, hence the recent appointments.
The two programmes are now wholly owned by the Federal Government under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
“Their take-off will be funded by the National Social Safety Net office as signed in the sustainability plan of the programmes.
“The new strategy to change the programme structure for effective delivery based on the new mandate given to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation birthed the 2.0 CSDP and Yesso programmes,’’ it stated.