The Federal Government says, it is set to inaugurate the National Humanitarian Development Framework geared towards making humanitarian interventions in Nigeria timely, effective and coordinated among governments, humanitarian and security agencies.
Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, disclosed this in a statement signed by her media aide, Mrs. Nneka Anibeze, on Monday in Abuja.
The Minister said that the initiative was aimed at restoring peace and stability in Nigeria.
“The framework is a national and innovative home-grown approach to proactively address critical humanitarian and development challenges at the community, state, and federal levels.
“The Framework will address root causes of conflict, by coherently addressing socio-economic vulnerabilities, to ensure sustainable peace, stability, and development in the country when launched.
“We will expect that all critical humanitarian, peace and resilience programmes and plans key into or are derived from the National Humanitarian Development Peace Framework and Strategy”.
She regretted that the humanitarian landscape in Nigeria has been impacted by non-state armed groups in the North-East region, environmental factors, the farmer-herder conflict, banditry activities in different parts of the country.
“Also, the recent COVID-19 pandemic outbreak which has led to displacement, loss of livelihoods and food insecurity”.
She stressed that the Federal Government is determined to keep working with the international humanitarian community to ensure safe and efficient access to humanitarian workers.
Farouq promised that other regions would be reintegrated with the aim of developing programmes and interventions to positively engage women and youths who are likely targets for radicalisation or criminal recruitment.
She highlighted some of the programmes initiated by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to include the Rural Women’s Cash Grant Programme, National Home Grown School Feeding programme and N-Power program with one million, five hundred thousand youths benefiting since its inception in 2016.
According to her, 70,000 metric tonnes of grains from the National Strategic Grains Reserve and non-food items were distributed through state governments to vulnerable individuals and households across the country.
” It was done in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and the World Food Programme, through the allocation and hand over of grains to these partners for onward distribution to ensure specific vulnerable groups.
“We will continue to partner with stakeholders to ensure food security for all Nigerians, assisting Internally Displaced Persons and returning refugees to reintegrate in dignity.
“There is need for urgent and concerted efforts from the government and the humanitarian community to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to the vulnerable, with nobody left behind,” Farouq said.
(NAN)
