Betta Edu: We’ll include families of injured, fallen soldiers in social register

Betta Edu, minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, says families of wounded and dead soldiers will be included in the national social register.

Edu spoke on Monday during a meeting with Christopher Musa, chief of defence staff, in Abuja.

The National Economic Council (NEC) had resolved to discard or update the national social register over “lack of credibility”.

The minister had assured that the register would be verified in collaboration with state governments.

She said her visit to the chief of defence staff was to seek the support of the military in addressing humanitarian issues across the country.

“We want to expand our social register to accommodate military personnel that have either been wounded or affected by war… even soldiers that left their families behind,” NAN quoted Edu as saying.

“We need this data from the military so that we can have them captured under the social register.”

The minister said she was at the defence headquarters to solicit the support of the Nigerian military to tackle humanitarian crises across the country.

“Alleviating humanitarian crises and poverty is topmost for President Bola Tinubu’s administration,” she said.

“Our preference is to discuss humanitarian crises across the nation and the need to collaborate with the military to prevent more persons coming under the humanitarian bracket.

“We also should be able to reach out effectively to those who are affected by humanitarian crises wherever they are.

“So that our humanitarian workers should be able to reach the people wherever they are with the support of the military.”

The chief of defence staff assured that the Nigerian army will support the humanitarian ministry towards achieving targeted goals and objectives.