The federal government has commenced the distribution of N20,000 to rural women in the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the Grant for Rural Women Project and Symbolic Disbursement programme taking place in states across the federation.
Speaking Thursday in Abuja during the event, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, said the grant is expected to increase the income and productive assets of target beneficiaries.
She said: “Since the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration in 2015, the Federal Government has paid more attention to promoting the plight of the poor and vulnerable in the country despite the economic slump the Administration inherited. This informed the decision to initiate the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) as a strategy for enhancing social inclusion.
“NSIP is one of the largest social protection programmes in Africa with over $1billion earmarked annually to cause positive change 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. I have personally witnessed the life-changing experiences of people who lived below the poverty line and those that are vulnerable to shocks.
“The grant for rural women programme was introduced in 2020 to sustain the social inclusion agenda of President Buhari’s Administration. It is consistent with the President’s now national vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years. It is designed to provide a one-off grant to some of the poorest and most vulnerable women in rural and peri-urban areas of the country.
“A cash grant of N20,000 will be disbursed to about 125,000 poor women across the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory. Our target in FCT is to disburse the grant to about 2,000 beneficiaries across the 6 Area Councils. The grant is expected to increase income and productive assets of target beneficiaries. It is our hope that the beneficiaries of this programme will make good use of the grant to generally contribute towards improving their living standard.
“We believed with the complementary effort of the FCT Administration under the leadership of the Honourable Minister, Muhammad Bello, and the Honourable Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu Tijjani, the target beneficiaries will be on their way out of poverty to prosperity. I am optimistic that with the support and cooperation of the stakeholders present here, we will remain on the track of lifting 100 million out of poverty by 2030.”
