Abuja: The Federal Government has inaugurated the distribution of food and nutrition support items in Niger under the Presidential Initiative for Food and Nutrition Assistance in Niger. The initiative aims to support vulnerable households and reinforce food security in the state.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, stated that the intervention is designed to align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, ensuring that food security, poverty reduction, and social protection remain central to governance. Dr. Doro emphasized that no vulnerable Nigerian would be left behind in this initiative, which seeks to provide immediate relief while also driving a deeper reform of Nigeria’s humanitarian and poverty-reduction framework.
The federal government is expanding and strengthening the National Social Register (NSR) to properly identify, document, and integrate vulnerable households into a structured social protection system. The ministry will collaborate with the Niger State Government to ensure affected residents are included in this expansion. Beneficiaries will become eligible for various federal government social protection and poverty reduction programmes, marking a shift from emergency response to a continuum of support connecting relief, recovery, resilience, and poverty exit.
Dr. Doro described the distribution as deliberate, targeted, and data-driven to mitigate food insecurity and prevent malnutrition, especially among children under five and pregnant women. The program aims to support displaced and conflict-affected households and stabilize vulnerable communities by addressing both caloric sufficiency and essential micronutrient needs.
Dr. Doro also highlighted the profound impact of recent challenges on households and infrastructure in the state, assuring that the ministry is working closely with the presidency to better anticipate, mitigate, and manage such occurrences in the future. Efforts are underway to develop the 2026 National Anticipatory Action Framework and Financing Instrument in collaboration with relevant national stakeholders.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. Olubunmi Olusanya, noted the event as a demonstration of the government’s commitment to emergency food assistance and improved nutrition. Governor Umaro Bago of Niger expressed appreciation for the federal government’s interventions, particularly in light of the worsening humanitarian challenges due to spillover from banditry and extremist activities in the North-West, which have displaced many families in the region.