Dr Bernard Doro, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has urged corporate organisations to provide tangible Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to communities in order to reduce poverty.
Doro made the remark at a multi-stakeholders engagement and community visits to Eastern Obolo in Akwa Ibom, organised by International Alert Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
The minister said that his on-the-spot visit to the communities in the area provided a clearer insight into how the people were living and assured that interventions would be aligned with the people’s needs.
The minister appealed that corporate social responsibility should have direct impacts to lift people out of poverty.
He said that poverty reduction in communities should not be left to the government alone, rather companies should directly invest in poverty programmes in the communities they operate.
He urged corporate organisations to fund projects that create jobs and skills to the youth as well as improve their livelihoods.
He appealed to the companies to stop treating CSR as a line item but as a commitment to real families within their host communities.
“Direct resources toward skills training for the youth I met today. Direct resources toward clean water that a mother need not walk miles to find.
“Direct resources toward classrooms where a child’s prospects are not diminished by a roof that leaks or is altogether absent,” Doro said.
He called for partnership to ensure that a child from Eastern Obolo could become a nurse, an engineer, a teacher or a business owner for the fact that ”those with means choose to act, not just observe.”
Doro said the ministry through the One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS) would continue to coordinate with the Akwa Ibom government and every willing partner to answer such call.
The Country Director of International Alert Nigeria, Dr Kingsley Udo, highlighted the importance of collaboration in driving sustainable development in communities.
Udo said that the partnerships between government, communities, and the private sector were essential to deliver inclusive and impactful interventions.
“The series of engagements underscore the International Alert Nigeria’s commitment to fostering partnerships that support sustainable development and strengthen community resilience.
In her remarks, the state Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Ms Emem Ibanga, said that the minister’s visit demonstrated that President Bola Tinubu meant well for Akwa Ibom.
Ibanga said that poverty reduction remained a cardinal priority in the state under Gov. Umo Eno’s administration.
“The State Government has continued to make strategic investments in social protection, economic empowerment, food security, and skills development, strengthening and sustaining livelihoods,” Ibanga said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that during the engagements, the minister paid a courtesy visit to Sterling Group/Sumeda Energy, traditional rulers and community leaders. (NAN)
