Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, has made a passionate appeal to Corporate Organisations, especially those operating in vulnerable communities, to engage in impactful and tangible programmes while delivering their Corporate Social Responsibilities, CSR.
The Minister made the appeal in Akwa Ibom State, on Friday, during a multi-stakeholders engagement and community visits to Eastern Obolo local government.
Doro urged organisations to refrain from treating corporate social responsibility as a line item, but a commitment to honour real families and communities, even as he urged them to channel their resources towards live touching projects in the communities including water projects, classroom rehabilitations, skills acquisition and empowerment programmes.
He admitted the poverty in the oil rich community of Eastern Obollo, noting that companies which operate in the areas should also ensure that enormous resources they exploit from the land rub off positively on the people
His words, “Direct resources toward skills training for the youth I met today. Direct resources toward clean water that a mother need not walk miles to find. Direct resources toward classrooms where a child’s prospects are not diminished by a roof that leaks or is altogether absent.
“The means exist. Eastern Obolo has the need. I am here, today, calling for those two realities to finally converge. This is not a call for charity. It is a call for partnership, the kind that lets us say, years from now, that a child from Eastern Obolo became a nurse, an engineer, a teacher, or a business owner, in part because those with means chose to act, not just observe. That is a legacy money alone cannot buy, but action today can build.’’
The minister further assured the commitments of his ministry through the One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System, OHOPRS, continue to coordinate with the Akwa Ibom State Government, local leaders, and every willing partner to assist in lifting the vulnerable families in the state.
Earlier, the Country Director of International Alert Nigeria, Dr Kingsley Udo, highlighted the importance of collaboration in driving sustainable development in communities stressing that partnerships between government, communities, and the private sector was essential to delivering inclusive and impactful interventions.
In her remarks, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Ms Emem Ibanga, while thanking the Minister for coming to Akwa Ibom in person noted that poverty reduction remained a cardinal priority in the state under Gov. Umo Eno’s administration.
She also appealed to corporate organisations and other private sector partners to keep the economic health of the environments in which they operate at heart, aligning their investments, policies, and corporate social responsibility initiatives with the needs and aspirations of host communities.
‘’When businesses thrive alongside their host communities, development becomes more sustainable, inclusive, and enduring,” she said.