By Victoria Ojeme

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, has hinted on a proposal by the Federal Government to set-up a central coordinating body for all international humanitarian responses in Nigeria in order to check allegations of fund diversions.

The Minister who spoke at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York said, the theme of this year’s meeting centres on four global issues -governing and multi-sectoral effort and poverty eradication, quality education, climate action as well as inclusion which are parts of the mandates of the ministry

Sadiya said social inclusion and cohesion are very key at any country and that is why the President deemed it fit to create a ministry that would handle these issues, Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs for disaster management and Social Development.

“Nigerians will be carried along no one will be left behind, people who need this social intervention, the most vulnerable in the society will be covered, displaced people will be covered as well, our youths who are jobless, we are going to create programmes for them, he said.

She explained that there is “a plan in place and we going to see to it that all these interventions reached to the targeted persons.

“We are going to have a one-stop intervention centre for every intervention that comes in, so that we will be able to know where and who gets what; we are going to put in place a system that will have checks and balance to know who is doing what at what time, to what camp and to what targeted population,” he explained.

She added that the ministry is going to do that because the main role of the ministry is to supervise and coordinate all these Humanitarian interventions in the country adding that there are going to be sanctioned for any person or group of persons or agencies that are caught involved in abuse or diversion of funds.

Also read: International Youth Day: Declare state of emergency on education now, NYCN charges FG

This year’s UNGA theme is: “Galvanizing multilateral efforts for poverty eradication, quality education, climate action and inclusion.”

According to the General Assembly President, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande the fact that world leaders have convened at United Nations Headquarters in New York is “a veritable testament to the primacy of this great multilateral body.”

He added that the issues at hand are “most critical and increasingly urgent for the attainment of international peace and security, as well as the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Too long at the crossroads of human development…we need to join efforts in finding solutions to the untold hardship from violent conflicts, terrorism, natural disasters, drug and sex trafficking, illiteracy, and so on which millions of people around the world suffer from”, he said.

“The implementation of the SDGs by 2030 must be our priority, in the interest of the billions of people who may never step inside this great Hall, but who hope that the work undertaken here would galvanize efforts for poverty eradication, zero hunger, quality education, climate action and inclusion”, Mr. Muhammad-Bande declared.

Vanguard