Dr. Beta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, expressed dismay over the meager budget allocation for her ministry, stating that it is insufficient for effectively alleviating poverty. She voiced her concerns while defending the ministry’s 2024 budget before the Senate Committee on Poverty Alleviation, led by Senator Idiat Adebule, at the National Assembly in Abuja on Tuesday.
Dr. Edu highlighted that the allocated sum of N532.5 billion, reflecting a 28% increase from the 2023 budget to mitigate the impact of inflation, is grossly inadequate. She emphasized that the 28% rise in the overhead ceiling does not match the current 27.33% inflation rate in the economy.
Furthermore, Dr. Edu noted a significant reduction in the capital budget ceiling, decreasing from N3.7 billion in 2022 to N1.328316 billion in 2023, indicating a 71% reduction. To effectively address poverty, she appealed to the committee to consider increasing the budget allocation for her ministry.
In response, Committee Chairman Idiat Adebule inquired whether the minister had presented the budget for the Trust Fund during the planning stage. Dr. Edu clarified that the budget for the Trust Fund was submitted to the Ministry of Budget but was not included in her ministry’s allocation. She acknowledged the omission and indicated that a memo had been prepared to address the oversight.