The federal government has announced ongoing efforts to integrate the National Social Register (NSR) with the National Identity Numbers (NIN) to enhance crisis preparedness and accelerate aid distribution.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, stated that the linkage would enable authorities to anticipate crises, mobilise resources swiftly, and ensure that aid reaches the most vulnerable without bureaucratic delays.
Speaking at Tuesday’s National Humanitarian Roundtable in Abuja, Yilwatda emphasised that outdated processes and bureaucratic bottlenecks remain significant obstacles to effective humanitarian response.
According to the Minister, humanitarian efforts in Nigeria are often hindered by financial constraints, slow decision-making, and poor coordination.
“People across the country are traumatised by climate change, security threats, and economic shocks. In the midst of these, we have limited funding. But the biggest crisis is not just the loss of lives—it is a bureaucratic crisis that does not respond to humanitarian needs,” he said.
“Every delay in decision-making, inefficiency in coordination, and shortfall in funding costs lives. We must eliminate these obstacles to ensure a timely and effective response.”
Yilwatda highlighted the importance of leveraging technology and data analytics to improve crisis management. The government, he said, is not only linking the NSR to NIN but also geotagging homes of vulnerable populations.
“This means that in the event of a crisis, we don’t have to manually collect data or depend on reports from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) or the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). From the comfort of our offices, we can immediately pinpoint affected individuals and deliver aid without unnecessary delays,” he explained.
The Minister also stressed the need for a more flexible financing model to ensure a swift response to humanitarian emergencies. He argued that traditional funding structures are too slow and rigid for the urgency of crises.
“We must adopt innovative and adaptive humanitarian financing. Traditional funding models are inadequate. I am confident that the Minister of Budget will design a model that fills the gaps left by international donors and allows for rapid disbursement of funds,” he said.
He urged policymakers to remove bureaucratic barriers and prioritise efficient coordination and financing, ensuring that humanitarian aid is delivered without unnecessary administrative hurdles.
