The Federal Government has unveiled a N140 billion social protection programme aimed at moving vulnerable Nigerians beyond temporary palliatives to sustainable livelihoods, economic empowerment and self-reliance.

The Household Prosperity and Empowerment Social Protection Project (HOPE-SP) was launched at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja alongside four other initiatives designed to strengthen Nigeria’s humanitarian response and poverty reduction system.

The additional initiatives are the One-Humanitarian-One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS), Emergency Cash Transfer Programme, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Ministerial Blueprint, and Humanity First Magazine.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, said the initiatives marked a shift in government’s approach from reactive relief to proactive social protection and long-term poverty reduction.

Doro said economic reforms under President Bola Tinubu, including fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange reforms, had strengthened government revenue and investor confidence but acknowledged that many Nigerians remained vulnerable to the impact of economic adjustments.

He identified fragmentation and poor coordination among existing intervention programmes as major challenges, noting that some beneficiaries received multiple interventions while other vulnerable households were left out.

Under the new framework, the government will focus on identifying vulnerable households, assessing their specific needs and connecting them with appropriate interventions.

Beneficiaries will subsequently be tracked through what the minister described as a “poverty graduation pathway” designed to move households towards economic inclusion and self-reliance.

The system will rely on unified data, digital delivery infrastructure, new financing mechanisms and real-time poverty intelligence, while promoting stronger coordination among federal, state and local governments and development partners.

Speaking at the launch, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu described the initiatives as an important step towards improving the welfare of vulnerable Nigerians amid the government’s ongoing economic reforms.

She said HOPE-SP would combine immediate stabilisation assistance with interventions designed to place affected households on a sustainable path towards recovery and economic independence.

“It is designed to provide immediate stabilisation assistance while placing the households on a pathway to recovery, empowerment and self-reliance,” she said.

Mrs Tinubu said the One-Humanitarian-One Poverty Response System would establish a coordinated national mechanism for humanitarian emergencies, social protection and poverty reduction.

She said the system would help eliminate duplication and strengthen unified national registries for identifying, supporting and tracking poor and vulnerable households.

The Emergency Cash Transfer Programme, she explained, would provide rapid financial assistance to households affected by economic shocks, while the ministerial blueprint would translate the government’s humanitarian and poverty reduction priorities into measurable actions.

She also described the Humanity First Magazine as an avenue for documenting the experiences of Nigerians whose lives have been transformed through government interventions.

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, said effective social protection required a coordinated approach involving all levels of government and other stakeholders.

Bagudu said the administration’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy by 2030 must be matched by deliberate efforts to ensure that economic opportunities reach Nigerians at the grassroots.

He highlighted the government’s ward development initiative covering 8,809 wards, which he said was designed to identify the drivers of poverty and exclusion at community level and transform wards into centres of prosperity and inclusion.

The minister said Nigeria already had significant resources and programmes dedicated to social protection, including a World Bank portfolio of about $6 billion, but stressed that stronger coordination was needed to maximise their impact.

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State welcomed the initiative, stressing that sustainable poverty reduction was critical to addressing insecurity and social instability.

Zulum said humanitarian interventions must go beyond immediate relief to tackle the underlying conditions, particularly poverty and inequality, that leave individuals and communities vulnerable.

The Federal Government said the new social protection architecture is intended to transform its approach from temporary assistance to sustainable pathways that build resilience, economic inclusion and long-term prosperity for vulnerable Nigerians.