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By Joseph Erunke

A new vista for keeping the general public abreast with humanitarian actions of the federal government emerged on Tuesday,March 22,2022, with the convocation of Humanitarian Open House by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. 

Held with the theme, ‘Coordinating for Durable Humanitarian Solutions; the Journey so far’, the Humanitarian Open House is a strategic communications initiative that brings together the partners, stakeholders, media, private sector, development partners, Civil Society Organisations, CSOs,Non-Governmental Organisations,NGOs in an event where a scorecard of the ministry’s programmes, projects and interventions is presented. 

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The Humanitarian Open House was birthed in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development,to effectively and consistently communicate its progress, challenges and engaging partners, stakeholders and the public. 

The policy derives from the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance,OFDA’s mandate, which encompasses the fundamental aims of humanitarian action—saving lives, alleviating human suffering, and mitigating the economic and social impact of disasters. It recognizes the links between independent humanitarian action and broader aid policies.

At the maiden edition of the event,where Nigeria’s National Policy Document on Internally Displaced Persons,IDPs, was also unveiled, with many media managers as well as people from different sectors of life in attendance,the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, explained that

the need to keep stakeholders and partners including the media abreast with the ministry’s programmes and activities was imperative “to allow correct, consistent and sustained information dissemination of the mandate, vision, policy direction, activities, interventions and its huge impact to all Nigerians and others.”

The event engaged the media, partners and stakeholders giving them the opportunity to ask questions, get clarity and offer suggestions. 

It is important to recall that the need to harmonize, synergize, institutionalize as well as provide coordination of all government’s humanitarian and social interventions led to the creation of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management and Social Development on August 21, 2019, by President Muhammadu Buhari. 

“Since inception, we have achieved a lot in the area of the provision and coordination of humanitarian interventions in keeping with our mandate. We have also been able to provide coordination through cooperation and partnerships with relevant government MDA’s, development partners, UN agencies and other partners. This is all in a bid to ensure sustained and expanded social protection programmes, prompt emergency response and appropriate humanitarian interventions,” Farouq explained at the event.

The Humanitarian Open House which has come to stay in the ministry provides opportunity for everyone to asked questions to know about even the National Social Investment Programme, the biggest social protection and poverty eradication programme put in place by President Buhari in 2016 to address immediate and long-term socio-economic imbalances and inequalities, alleviate poverty and stimulate accelerated economic growth in the country.