President Muhammadu Buhari has conferred on the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq with the Commander of the Order of the Niger CON award.
Umar Farouq is among 75 recipients who received the prestigious National honours.
A statement by the Humanitarian Special Assistant, Nneka Anibeze, the CON Award was for her resilience and headlong confrontation of humanitarian crises in the country from 2019 to 2023.
The crisis according to the statement include poverty, Covid-19 pandemic, flooding, internal displacements and refugee crisis.
Others are youth unemployment, statelessness, fire disasters and Out of School Children.
Meanwhile, President Buhari disclosed among his achievements, the empowerment of the poor and vulnerable as well as acquisition of skills by young Nigerian graduates and non- graduates which fell under the ministerial portfolio of the Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq.
“You would all recall the supply chain disruptions and economic downturn that the world witnessed between 2020 and 2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The deftness of our response to the pandemic still remains a global best practice.
“Furthermore, we increased the ability of the poor and rural Nigerians to earn a living, provided more food for millions in our villages and gave our women opportunities to earn a living.
Young men and women in urban centres were also supported to put their skills into productive use” he said.
The President further congratulated the Minister during the virtual unveiling of the 1st International Humanitarian Summit, while celebrating the achievements held under the Humanitarian sector.
“I want to commend the Honourable Minister, the management and staff of the Ministry for exhibiting a high sense of leadership and dexterity in handling the affairs of Humanitarian Sector.
“Let me thank our partners, the donor agencies, Non-governmental Organizations, Civil Society Organizations, MDAs and the National Assembly for their support.
“As we bow out, it is my strong belief that that the Humanitarian sector is adequately prepared and equipped for better Service Delivery to Nigeria’s Vulnerable Groups. It is on record that the empowerment programmes initiated and executed all over the country under the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has impacted positively the lives of millions of Nigerians and had lifted millions out of poverty. I congratulate you for a job well done.”.
Sadiya Umar Farouq is the pioneer Minister of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
