Minister Bernard Doro faces tough questions on NSIP accountability, poverty reduction targets, disaster response and his new AU humanitarian role.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Mohammed Doro, is set to face a searching round of questions from the Reshaping Democracy platform, covering the full sweep of his ministry's mandate — from social investment transparency to disaster preparedness and Nigeria's fight against multi-dimensional poverty.
The interview comes at a pivotal moment for the ministry, which continues to grapple with the twin pressures of scaling up social protection programmes nationwide while managing an intensifying climate and conflict-driven humanitarian burden.
At the centre of the questioning is the ministry's record on policy reform and delivery speed across all 36 states, with particular scrutiny on whether recent changes have translated into faster implementation on the ground. Closely tied to this is the perennial question of accountability within the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP), long dogged by allegations of leakages and public mistrust, and now facing renewed calls for a credible tracking framework that lets citizens see exactly where disbursements and relief materials end up.
Poverty reduction targets also feature prominently, with the Minister expected to lay out measurable goals and timelines for cutting multi-dimensional poverty over the next two years — a benchmark against which his tenure will likely be judged.
Climate resilience forms another key plank of the interview, with questions probing the ministry's early warning systems and disaster response capacity amid worsening flooding across the country, alongside the adequacy and timeliness of relief support reaching internally displaced persons and disaster-hit communities.
The welfare of vulnerable groups — older persons, persons with disabilities, and residents of conflict-affected areas in the North East and North West — rounds out the domestic agenda, with the ministry pressed to detail concrete safety nets and special interventions ensuring no community is left behind.
On the international front, Dr Doro is expected to address how partnerships with MDAs, state governments and foreign development partners are being leveraged to expand funding and impact, as well as what his recent appointment to the African Union Humanitarian Agency's governing council means for service delivery at home, given Nigeria's ongoing conflict and disaster challenges.
Responses from the Minister are awaited.
Ene Mary McDickson

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