'Tinubu will lift 136 million Nigerians out of poverty' - Humanitarian minister, Betta Edu

The newly sworn-in Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, has stated that the Bola Tinubu administration will be rescuing over 136 million poor Nigerians out of poverty.

She made this known in Abuja when she assumed office at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation on Monday, August 21, 2023.

Betta said: “He (President) has an agenda. And the agenda is simple; renew the hopes of Nigerians. There’s a lot of work to be done. I have taken my time to go through some data and I have seen that we have about 136 million poor Nigerians.

"Let’s assume in all honesty that the data we have is correct, that we have 200 million Nigerians, which I think we are more than that, 136 million is alarming and it is completely unacceptable to President Bola Tinubu.”

She explained why the ministry was renamed.

According to her, the ministry was renamed by the government in order to focus more and better in making sure that poverty in Nigeria is dealt with frontally.

“I don’t know if it is good for you, but is good for the President and for Nigerians that it is a younger person that is here. And the reason is simple, we need energy, innovation and speed to reach 136 million people as a matter of urgency," she said.