Social Investment Programme: Over 12 million households benefitted from project in last five years – FG

Minister, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Faruk disclosed this while flagging-off the disbursement of N20,000 cash (Grants for Rural Women Project) to 8,000 rural women across the 44 Local government area of Kano State.

Hajiya Faruk represented by her Permanent Secretary, Bashir Nura Alkali while giving the breakdown of the 12 million households beneficiaries of the NSIP, said, “one million indigents benefitted N5,000 under Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) and under the Government Enterprise Enhancement Programme, 1,092,405 Micro and Small Business owners accessed loans to boost productivity, increase income and reduce poverty.

“A total of 125,000 women are to benefit from the N20,000 Cash Grant for Rural Women Project across the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory and Under the N-Power programme 500,000 unemployed youths were provided temporary income-generating opportunities while 8,612,457 primary 1 – 3 pupils in public schools are receiving 1 meal per day under the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.”

“Since the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2015, the Federal government has paid more attention to addressing the plight of the poor and vulnerable in the country despite the economic slump and revenue challenges. This informed the decision to initiate the National Social Investment Programme, NSIP as a strategy for enhancing social inclusion. The NSIP is adjudged as the largest social protection programme in Africa with over $1billion earmarked annually to cause positive changes in the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable in the country.

“Since its introduction in 2016, the programme has impacted positively on the lives of the poor and vulnerable in Nigeria. Over 12 million households have benefitted from NSIP interventions in the last five years,” Sadiya stated.

On the Grant for Rural Women Programme, the Minister said, “the Programme was introduced in 2020 to sustain the social inclusion agenda of the President Buhari’s administration to lift 100,000 Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.

“It is designed to provide a one-off grant of N20,000 to some of the women in rural and peri-urban areas of the country (across 36 states and FCT).

“Our target in Kano State is to disburse the grant to over 8,000 beneficiaries across the 44 local government areas. The grant is expected to increase income and productive assets of target beneficiaries,” the Minister however stated.

Earlier, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State appealed to the Federal government for the enrolment of additional 88,000 beneficiaries (2,000 each across 44 LGAs) from the state under the Government Enterprise Empowerment Program (GEEP).

Ganduje represented by his Deputy, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna also appealed for immediate approval of 35,000 remaining Conditional Cash Transfer beneficiaries from 15 Local Governments of the State.

On the N-Power, Ganduje appealed to the Minister for consideration of Kano State with over 200,000 registered applicants of N-power, the highest in the country, to use her good office in fast-tracking the enrolment process.

The Governor however called on the beneficiaries to make good use of the grants towards improving their living standard noting that no dime should be given to anybody.