The European Union has committed nearly €45 million in humanitarian assistance to Nigeria as it called for urgent and sustained action to tackle poverty, insecurity and displacement across the country.

EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States, Gautier Mignot, said humanitarian needs and poverty could not wait.

He urged the government and its partners to strengthen social protection and build lasting pathways out of deprivation.

Mignot spoke on Saturday in Abuja at the 2026 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, held under the theme, “United for Peace and Human Rights: Safe Homes for All.”

He said the EU’s humanitarian assistance, delivered through the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), was targeted particularly at conflict-affected and crisis-prone areas.

The ambassador stressed that emergency relief must be connected to long-term recovery, economic resilience and durable solutions for vulnerable households.

“Humanitarian needs cannot wait, and poverty either,” he said, calling for sustained action by government institutions, development partners and communities.

Mignot cited Nigeria’s 2022 National Multidimensional Poverty Index, which estimated that about 133 million Nigerians, representing 63 per cent of the population, experienced multidimensional poverty.

He said the figures reflected overlapping deprivations in healthcare, education, living standards, housing and other essential needs.

According to him, poverty is not simply a lack of income but also the inability of families to access basic services, decent employment and opportunities to participate meaningfully in society.

He warned that no meaningful poverty reduction effort could succeed without peace, security, dignity and respect for human rights.

The EU envoy acknowledged Nigeria’s existing social investment and cash transfer programmes, as well as livelihood and economic empowerment initiatives.

He also welcomed the government’s renewed investment in social protection, citing the Renewed Hope Social Protection Programme and the Household Prosperity and Empowerment Social Protection Project, known as HOPE-SP.

Mignot said the EU was supporting Nigeria through its Supporting Sustainable Social Protection Systems in Nigeria (SUSI) programme, implemented in partnership with government institutions and organisations including UNICEF, GIZ, the International Labour Organisation, ActionAid Nigeria and Oxfam.

The programme supports social protection policies, strengthens institutional capacity and helps governments identify and assist poor and vulnerable households.

He said the initiative was working at national and state levels, including in Abia, Benue, Oyo, Sokoto, Kebbi, Adamawa and Borno states.

Mignot also highlighted efforts to expand the social register and improve data systems to help authorities identify vulnerable households and direct public resources to communities with the greatest needs.

He said evidence-based poverty assessments could help governments design better-targeted interventions by identifying overlapping disadvantages in health, education, nutrition and living standards.

The ambassador further disclosed that the EU had supported the review of Nigeria’s National Social Protection Policy, approved by the National Economic Council, alongside the development of state policies and a social protection bill.

He said the EU’s partnership with Nigeria also covered governance, justice, conflict prevention, healthcare, education, agricultural value chains, women’s empowerment and social cohesion.

Mignot welcomed the ongoing transition towards greater Nigerian government responsibility for funding and coordinating humanitarian assistance, while reaffirming the EU’s commitment to supporting poverty reduction and resilience.

He commended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, for his efforts, stressing that ending poverty would require a coordinated, long-term commitment across government and society.

The ambassador said the ultimate objective was to build a more inclusive and resilient Nigeria where citizens could live in dignity, enjoy their fundamental rights and access opportunities to improve their lives.