Minister expresses concern that the N532.5bn budget falls short in addressing poverty.

In her budget defense before the Joint National Assembly Committee, Minister Beta Edu expressed concern that the allocated budget of N532.5bn for 2024 is insufficient to effectively combat poverty. She highlighted a 28% increase in the overhead ceiling, but noted that it doesn’t match the 27.33% inflation rate. Edu emphasized a significant 71% reduction in the capital budget from 2022 to 2023 and called for a reconsideration to align with the ministry’s poverty reduction mandate. She also mentioned the omission of the Humanitarian and Poverty Eradication Trust Fund from the budget and requested the committee’s support in rectifying this.