The newly appointed Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Nentawe Yilwatda says collaboration is key to surmounting the challenges facing the country especially in addressing poverty and related issues.
Yilwatda said this in his assumption speech, shortly after he was sworn in by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
According to him, there is a need to recognize identify, come together as a people and address challenges facing Nigeria for the sake of the present and future generations.
The Minister further said that based on his understanding of the Civil Service, he will not circumvent, anybody’s function.
“Everybody will take their normal job schedule. And we’ll allow them to function as much as possible. And where possible, we’ll synergize together to ensure that we get the work done,” he said
Yilwatda noted that the Ministry have had an image issue that needs to be addressed by being transparent at every stage.
“We have a trust deficit between the ministry and the general public and the national community. And we must clean those image issues. We must address the issue of the trust deficit. So we close the gap between us and the international community and the public also. And in doing that, we need to also ensure that we bring in transparency
“And part of the measure of transparency is to ensure that we get most of our processes automated. So that we can bring some level of transparency. So that we ensure at the same time that what we are doing can be visible”.
According to him, being transparent will encourage people to invest in the activities of the Ministry and provide some partnerships.
He emphasised that the current reforms of government will be given a human face because of the consequences some of the reforms are coming with.
“And it’s our duty as a group of people who are here to ensure that we give human face to every policy of government. So that Nigerians will not feel the pressure of the reforms that the government is taking because they are necessary reforms. So that the people at the grassroots and the people at the lower ladder, lower part of the social ladder, will not, in the course of implementing that policy, be suppressed”.
Speaking further, the Minister of State, Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Tanko Sununu, said he’ll work with his Boss to redeem the image of the Ministry through responsible leadership and guidance
“It is only when we redeem the image that we can develop trust. Without trust, whatever we have done would be underrated and would not be seen as manifesting as an impact. In doing this, we are going to provide leadership, guidance and we will depend on you for your maximum input because you are the technocrat of the ministry. You are the owners of institutional memory. You are those who know, the avoidable infraction.” Sununu said
According to him, it is only when the image of the Ministry is redeemed that the mission and vision of President Bola Tinubu of eradicating poverty and providing effective humanitarian services will be appreciated by Nigeria.
“We call for your cooperation in discharging this. All our doors will be open. We implore you to give us all the necessary cooperation. In our own part, we assure you respect. We also assure you an open door policy”.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Abel Enitan said the appointment of the Ministers came at a crucial time when efforts are ongoing to address the Socioeconomic challenges facing the country and to bring succour to the citizenry.
“Indeed conscious efforts have been made in the last ten months to enthrone more firmly the culture of transparency and accountability in the handling of Government business”. He said.
According to Mr Enitan, the road ahead may be challenging, but with collaboration, dedication and a shared vision, obstacles would be overcome and great things achieved.
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