The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, has said the Nigerian Air Force remains a key enabler to the successful implementation of the 8-Point agenda of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
This was contained in a statement issued by the NAF Spokesman, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, on Wednesday.
Gabkwet said the Minister made this known when she paid a courtesy visit to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar.
Edu said that President Bola Tinubu had remained committed to reducing the number of Nigerians in dire need of humanitarian assistance irrespective of their location.
She said the commitment would only be realisable if the ministry could have easy access to some of the victims who reside in inaccessible areas.
According to her, it is in view of the difficulty experienced in gaining access to these locations that she was at the NAF Headquarters to seek for assurance and solicit for assistance in the delivery of relief materials to the needy in areas hindered by difficult terrains or insecurity.
The Minister promised that families of NAF veterans as well as those who paid the supreme price while on active duty would be captured in the new expanded poverty alleviation programme set to be rolled out in some weeks to come.
READ ALSO:
UK Home Office to declare Wagner terrorist organisation
Leicester City helicopter crash pilot said ‘I’ve no idea what’s going on’ – Report
Parents of gifted Kwara boy who made 9As in WASSCE plead for scholarship
She called for the establishment of a Humanitarian Desk at the Headquarters of the NAF for ease of liaison with her Ministry during the compilation and submission of the list of beneficiaries to ensure that the appropriate NAF beneficiaries were captured under the programme.
Edu commended the NAF for its assistance to the Ministry and its parastatals in the areas of casualty evacuation, distribution of relief materials as well as evacuation of stranded Nigerians in conflict areas overseas.
Responding, Air Marshal Abubakar said the NAF and the Ministry had a long history of collaboration either directly or through its numerous agencies.
Abubakar assured the Minister of NAF’s readiness and willingness to assist her achieve the mandate of the Ministry and called for effective coordination which, he said, was the cornerstone of any successful humanitarian operation.
He also proposed some key areas where NAF and the ministry could strengthen their partnership.
According to him, the two organisations can partner in the areas of joint training and capacity building as well as optimising disaster response protocols to enable them act swiftly, minimise duplication of efforts and ensure more efficient allocation of resources.
Abubakar added that close collaboration would ensure that aid gets to those in need in a timely and efficient manner.
The Minister, who was accompanied by senior officials of her Ministry, also took time out to lay a wreath at the NAF Memorial arcade.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
