FEC Approves Establishment Of Council For Humanitarian Affairs

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the establishment of the National Council on Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.

The Council was to guide the scope and operations of humanitarian activities and to be headed by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.

Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu disclosed this on Thursday at a media briefing on sustainable response to address the humanitarian gap arising from the partial suspension of World Food Programme (WFP) operations in North-Eastern and North-Western parts of Nigeria.

“This will give us a way to develop programme that is not federal programme, but a national programme and it’s right from exceptional implementations and oversight so that we can have a document that will guide us on our own. Also, some of the local businesses to see how we increase budgetary allocation to the ministry,” the minister stated in his Abuja office.

He stressed the aim of the Council to ensuring a coordination between the ministry, the state and local governments.

The minister said the move was part of efforts of the federal government to make the right impact and deliver on its mandate.

The Minister also disclosed that President Bola Tinubu has directed the lifting of the suspension on the ministry’s account following allegation of diversion of money from programmes intended for vulnerable groups into a private account.

The allegation led to the recovery of $24 million and the discovery of over 50 suspicious bank accounts under the former Minister Better Edu.

He said President Tinubu is focussing on redeeming the image of the ministry and institute principle of accountability and transparency.

Dr Sununu added that the ministry has developed a local strategy based on transparency and accountability for administration of its programmes.