FEC approves plan to merge humanitarian aid and poverty relief into one system

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a new framework that will bring emergency relief, social protection and poverty reduction work under a single system. The approval was announced on Thursday by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.

The framework is called the One Humanitarian One Poverty Response System, or OHOPRS. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard M. Doro, presented the memo to the council on Wednesday, according to statements from the ministry.

For ordinary Nigerians, the plan is meant to change how help reaches poor and displaced households. Instead of separate agencies running separate schemes, the ministry says support will be planned and tracked around the household itself.

What the framework is meant to fix

The ministry said relief work, social protection and poverty reduction have largely run apart from one another. It said this has led to repeated efforts, people falling through the gaps, and families getting emergency help with no clear path to recovery.

Under OHOPRS, a family displaced by conflict or another emergency would still get food, shelter and healthcare. The difference, the ministry said, is that the same family would also be connected to social protection, education, skills training and livelihood support.

The aim is to move people from short-term relief towards recovery and eventually earning a living on their own. The ministry described the framework as a system-wide reform rather than another standalone programme, with data used to identify households and measure results.

Doro said the old approach kept the three areas apart. "OHOPRS brings them together," he said, adding that vulnerable Nigerians should be supported along a clear path towards recovery and economic independence.

He said the council's approval moves OHOPRS from a framework the country had adopted into the formal structure of the Federal Government. He also said the reform should be judged by whether interventions work together to improve people's lives, not by how many programmes are launched.

The ministry said OHOPRS is a key pillar of President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda. It was developed with input from development partners at a workshop at the United Nations House in Abuja in March 2026. The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, unveiled it alongside Doro at the State House Banquet Hall on August 26, 2026.

What happens next

With FEC approval secured, the ministry said it will work with government institutions, state and local authorities, development partners and other stakeholders to put the framework into practice.

The statements did not say how much the plan will cost, how many households it will cover, or when Nigerians will begin to see changes. Those details are likely to matter to families waiting for support.