NewStats: 3,262,807 , 8,178,213 topics. Date: Tuesday, 03 June 2025 at 04:16 PM 5431e

Nentawe Yilwatda, the minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction, says the federal government is using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify poor Nigerians residing in urban slums.

Speaking on Arise TV Prime Time programme on Friday, the minister said AI has enabled the expansion of the national social .

He added that the , which initially targeted only the rural poor, has grown from 13 million to 19.7 million people.

“To help someone, you must first know them. You can’t people you can’t identify. That’s why we started by validating the social ,” Yilwatda said.

“The president ordered that we include the urban poor as well. We used satellite imagery to locate urban slums, then base stations and telecoms data to identify phone numbers in those locations.

“AI helped us generate a list of urban poor individuals by ing those numbers, their access to financial services, and other indicators.

“So now, the updated social covers both rural and urban communities, making it more inclusive and reliable.”

The minister said the federal government is targeting 15 million households — about 75 million individuals — with its anti-poverty programmes.

“Nigeria has around 43 million households. We’re targeting 15 million with these interventions. Multiply that by an average household size of five, and we’re reaching about 75 million people,” Yilwatda said. 

‘42% NIGERIANS AFFECTED BY FOOD POVERTY’

The minister added that government is providing conditional cash transfers to food-poor households as part of its multidimensional poverty reduction efforts.

“We need to differentiate between food poverty and multidimensional poverty. Multidimensional poverty includes a lack of access to education, clean water, healthcare, and financial services. Food poverty, which focuses solely on access to sufficient food, affects roughly 42% of the population,” he said.

“If you take 42% of 200 million, that’s about 80 million people. Divide that by an average household size of five, and you have roughly 20 million households affected.

“The federal government is targeting 15 million of them. That means over 75% of the food-poor population is being covered through conditional cash transfers.”

He said each household receives N75,000, which may seem small in urban areas but has a significant impact in rural communities.

“I know 75,000 might seem insignificant to someone living in the city. But in rural areas, it makes a difference,” he added. 

“We conducted a t research project with the World Bank and some civil society organisations. It showed that up to 18% of recipients were able to start nano or small-scale businesses with that money.

“About 82% used the funds to improve food security. And 52% were able to pay school fees for their children.

“So, while this is not their sole source of income, it is a meaningful supplement that helps cushion the impact of poverty.”

Yilwatda said the federal government has also introduced a range of structural measures to tackle poverty and food insecurity.

“The cost of food this year has stabilised, and food inflation has reduced. The government has introduced several measures to address this,” he said. 

“For example, student scholarships have been offered to ensure that those who have fallen below the poverty line can still access education.

“The government has also made N1.5 trillion available through the aggregate bank for farmers. This will allow them to access loan schemes, boost agricultural production, and enhance food security.”

The minister said past efforts focused mainly on humanitarian aid, but the current istration is pivoting towards long-term poverty eradication.

“Poverty alleviation reduces the pain; poverty reduction moves people out of poverty entirely,” he said.

“Until now, the focus was mainly on humanitarian interventions — relief materials, food distribution, and cash transfers. But that’s not enough. We’re shifting towards actually reducing poverty.”

https://www.thecable.ng/fg-using-ai-to-identify-poor-nigerians-says-nentawe-yilwatda/

I just reserve my comments but all I know is that the day Nigerians will wake up is when all this shit will stop.

Typicool8:
I just reserve my comments but all I know is that the day Nigerians will wake up is when all this shit will stop.

You can imagine the nonsense. If we talk they'll start calling us obedient. Even the nations with advanced technology don't claim to use AI to identify the poor.

OneCandleAway:


You can imagine the nonsense. If we talk they'll start calling us obedient. Even the nations with advanced technology don't claim to use AI to identify the poor.

Don't mind those agbado baboons. They will soon invade this thread with their usual praise singing.

Useless balabuians where una dey?

How is that supposed to happen? Tinubu and his clue..less government sef

You don't need AI to identify the poor

Everything is AI
Na wa

Story

I never see one person wey don receive 1 naira from the FG. I only hear and read about the cash transfer in the news

Even the developed nation don't subscribe to this shit, but a veritable social security number( SSN). The APC have so much insulted the sensibility and intelligence of Nigerians for a long time. This see finish will surely end one day.

Lolzzzzzx

Lol

😂😂😂🤣

When you live in a different Nigeria from reality.Shamless people.

When the wrong person gets the wrong job: a recipe for laughs.

This country can make you laugh ( or cry) everyday.

Chat gpt:
Final Strategy

The most effective solution is a hybrid approach, combining PMT, CBT, geospatial data, and existing registries, validated through household surveys.

Even the AI handed the job back to the humanity.

Liar

Mumu talk

Lol. Use it to identify boko-haram first.

Jokers

They used ChatGPT

...

Possible though it might be another form of A.I. Definitely not Artificial Intelligence.


It may be something like Afufu (Suffering in Igbo ) and Iya ( Suffering in Yoruba). Sorry Hausa folks, I didn’t mention you guys because Una like suffering from time immemorial with Una Almajiri ( Another A.I ) Wuya system.

Afufu + Iya = A.I

Lienus government . Always lying to show they are woke. Nor be only A.I na Chat GPT abi DeepSeek. Nonsense and Ingredient

AI, help me to list all the names of poor people in Akwa LGA. Easy...

Typicool8:
I just reserve my comments but all I know is that the day Nigerians will wake up is when all this shit will stop.

Nigerians will never wake up. The oppressors are using tribe and religion on them and it will continue that way

even timemanager helineus zero8zero dont believe this

can the Hon Minister define AI?

Ok o, but I will not like to hear that AI glitch caused missing or misappropriated fund at the Ministry, please .

AI's definition of poverty might not be the same to what is on ground.

Same AI that failed jamb students??

You don't even need AI to that in the first place