The Niger Government has commended the Social Investment Programmes of the Federal Government, saying the interventions have impacted meaningfully on vulnerable households in the state.
Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger made the commendation on Friday in Minna, while inaugurating a one-day meeting of the implementation assessment of the National Cash Transfer (NCT) programme in the state.
“This is a remarkable programme under the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP), particularly the Cash Transfer Programme.
“I must acknowledge that the NSIP so far is the most remarkable programme that has been adopted in Nigeria under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“The programme has brought out the vulnerable groups out of poverty,” he said.
Bello, represented by Ahmed Matane, Secretary to the State Government, said that the social interventions –
N-Power Programme and Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) – had their strategic objectives on changing the lives of the people for better.
Other interventions are National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) and Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programmes.
“In the few years of implementation of this programme, each of this unit has been able to achieve beyond the expectations of the general public, particularly in Niger State.
“Therefore, we must commend the focal person of the NSIP, Ministry for Women Affairs and all the stakeholders, who have collaborated to ensure that we recorded huge successes.
“The statistics recoded is quite pleasing because of the large families lifted out of poverty in Niger state,” he said.
He noted that all the components of the programme had impacted meaningfully on poor families in the state.
The governor called on the 25 local government council chairmen and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the state to mainstream the programme, for its sustainability after winding up.
Similarly, Mrs Hajara Ahmed, National Programme Coordinator, National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO), said that the social intervention targeted the poor households in the 36 states and Abuja.
“The programme is not just cash transfers but implements Complementary Cash Plus, where the aim is to address gaps in human and capital development.
“Also to ensure sustainable livelihood for the beneficiaries at the bottom pyramid of the country,” she said.
Ahmed, who was represented by Hajiya Sadiya Abdullahi, Enrollment Manager, NCTO, thanked the state government for supporting the programme hence the successes recorded.
Also, Hajiya Fati Tasalla, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, said that the intervention had helped more than 80,000 beneficiaries to form over 700 cooperatives and businesses to benefit members and their communities.
Earlier, Hajiya Hadiza Shiru, Head of State Cash Transfer Unit, explained that the programme had so far produced 81,382 base transfer beneficiaries, 13,398 top up beneficiaries, 418 livelihood beneficiaries and 769 registered cooperative societies in the state.
Mrs Bilkisu Idris, one of the beneficiaries from Chanchaga Local Government Area, said that the intervention had helped in paying her children’s school fees and also set up a small business.
Idris said that since the programme started in 2016, she had been receiving a monthly stipend of N5,000 which had been increased to N10,000.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that highpoint of the occasion was presentation of awards by the beneficiaries of the programme to the state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello.
Others are the Speaker State Assembly, Mr Abdullahi Bawa-Wuse, Hajiya Binta Mamman, representing Gurara Constituency at the state assembly among others.
NAN reports that the Federal Government established the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) in 2016 to tackle poverty and hunger across the 36 states and Abuja.
NAN
