The Federal Government has received $270 million (about N204.3 billion) from United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF) as support to the humanitarian response to poverty alleviation.

Announcing the support at a meeting with the minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, in Abuja, yesterday, UNICEF Country Representative, Cristian Munduate, said the intervention was targeted at Nigerian children, especially the poor and those in emergency situations.

According to him, as humanitarian actors, UNICEF would continue to support Nigeria to better the lives of children, as well as provide technical support to build capacity of the ministry’s staff.
 
“UNICEF will provide technical support to build capacity of the ministry’s staff, as well as support the development of a Humanitarian Response Protocol for Nigeria to guide all humanitarian actors to facilitate effective coordination. 

“Additionally, UNICEF will support the establishment of a National Humanitarian Situation Room or Humanitarian Emergency Operation Centre (H-EOC) to monitor, mitigate and prevent humanitarian emergencies and build resilience in the system,” she said.   

The minister assured the delegation that the Federal Government would ensure efficient use of the fund through accountability and transparency in programme execution.

Edu said: “Time is of the essence and we need to run at the speed of light to roll out social programmes that will bring relief to the poor. Nigerians are eagerly waiting for full implementation of the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda, the time for intense action is now.

“Government will be transparent and accountable in all its processes in the ministry, and engagement with partners like UNICEF will continue until government achieves its set targets”