Dr Betta Edu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, says the Federal Government is committed to lifting 133 million Nigerians out of poverty.
Edu who spoke on Monday at a meeting with heads of agencies under the ministry, said the government can only achieve this through different interventions and initiatives devised at reducing poverty.
She assured Nigerians of her determination to ensure transparency and accountability during her tenure.
“What is most important is that we will keep our focus on lifting 133 million Nigerians out of poverty,” she said.
“We can do it in phases, a step at a time because with determination and strong will, nothing is impossible.
“We will also achieve the feat with the strong political backing from His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu and every member of the cabinet.
“We will play down on politics, we are here to face the real business of governance.”
The minister also said all resources would be deployed to combat the rate of poverty in the country.
“Different sources of data suggest that we have a population of 200 million Nigerians, which I think we are more than that,” the minister said.
“Out of this population, the sources indicated that 136 million are extremely poor and that is unacceptable.
“We need to bring smiles back to the faces of Nigerians. We must reach out to those who are underserved and renew their hope.
“While doing this, we must ensure that we will increase our efforts, be very sincere, transparent and accountable.”
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