By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard M. Doro, has urged humanitarian workers across Nigeria to remain committed to providing assistance to vulnerable citizens, assuring them that their contributions are valued by Nigerians.
Doro made the call on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 World Humanitarian Day commemoration organized by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction in collaboration with the Nigeria Humanitarian Action (NIHA) at the Abuja Continental Hotel.
Speaking at the event held under the theme, “Strengthening Global Solidarity and Empowering Local Communities”, the minister said every vulnerable Nigerian should be assured that the Federal Government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, remained committed to supporting them.
He said the ministry was working to build a humanitarian coordination system that would be nationally driven, professionally managed, locally responsive and financially sustainable.
According to him, achieving this objective requires seamless collaboration among the Federal, State and Local Governments, development partners, civil society organizations, academia, faith-based organizations and the private sector.
Doro also highlighted the ministry’s One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS) as a key national coordination framework designed to reduce duplication, strengthen institutional collaboration, promote data-driven decision-making and integrate humanitarian assistance with recovery, resilience, social protection and poverty reduction.
He called for increased investment in the welfare, professional development, remuneration and incentives of humanitarian personnel, stressing that a motivated workforce was critical to building an effective humanitarian system.
The minister said the theme of this year’s commemoration was more than a slogan, describing it as an instruction for Nigeria and the global community to combine international solidarity with strong local capacity.
“Solidarity without local strength is charity that cannot outlast the crisis that provokes it. Local strength without solidarity is a burden no community should have to carry alone,” he said.
Doro said Nigeria’s responsibility was to welcome international partnerships while simultaneously building communities capable of becoming resilient and self-reliant.
He expressed appreciation to the United Nations system, development partners, donors, governments and humanitarian organizations for their continued support to Nigerians.
The minister said the transition from a predominantly UN-coordinated humanitarian architecture to a government-led system represented “a strategic investment in our resilience, sovereignty and long-term sustainability.”
He further called for accelerated implementation of the National Humanitarian Poverty Reduction Trust Fund to secure sustainable domestic financing for humanitarian interventions.
Doro urged stronger domestic investment through predictable budgetary allocations, innovative financing mechanisms, increased private-sector participation, philanthropic contributions and stronger partnerships with state governments.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. Olubunmi Olusanya, recalled the origin of World Humanitarian Day, noting that August 19 was chosen in memory of the 2003 bombing of the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, which claimed 22 lives, including the UN Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
He said the United Nations General Assembly subsequently designated August 19 as World Humanitarian Day, with the first global observance held in 2009.
Olusanya reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to strengthening the link between humanitarian action, poverty reduction, social protection and sustainable development, while ensuring that affected people remained at the centre of interventions.
The Board Chairman of NIHA, Engr. Morgan Okwoche, in his goodwill message, appreciated the ministry for its partnership and called for stronger collaboration in advancing humanitarian services across the country.
The event also featured goodwill messages from the Federal Commissioner of the Nigerian Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Mr. Aliyu Tijani; representatives of the National Population Commission, Nigeria Police Force and Zamfara State Government; as well as the Country Director of International NGOs, Mr. Ndubuisi Anyanwu, and representatives of the ECOWAS Commission, among others.
Musical performances by OG Abbah Mohammed Abubakar, an internally displaced persons’ (IDP) star artist, alongside other cultural performances by IDPs, were also part of the commemoration.
