FG expended $5bn fighting poverty in five years — Minister

The Federal government has spent over $5bn since 2016 to fight poverty, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Farouq has said.

Mrs. Farouq said this was a result of the President's resolve to ensure 100 million Nigerians are out of poverty by committing $1bn through the National Social Investment Programme to reduce poverty and inequality.

She also described as factual the data referenced in the President’s Democracy Day address, which said 7.5million people had been pulled out of poverty.

The National Coordinator of NSIP, Dr Umar Bindir, who represented the minister, stated this on Saturday in Yola, during the presentation of letters of engagement and electronic tablets to 248 monitors of the NSIP programme in Adamawa, The Punch reports.

She said, “I am happy to report to you that every year since 2016, when NSIP was flagged off, Mr President has approved that $1bn be invested into that sector every year (which aggregated is over $5bn).”