The federal government’s National Social Investment Programme(NSIP) is one of the largest social protection programmes in Africa.
Introduced in 2016 comprising CCT, N-Power, GEEP, National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, YESSO and CSDP, it is part of the Buhari Administration’s strategy for enhancing social inclusion and protection of the most vulnerable citizens.
Speaking in Ilorin at the flag off for the federal government’s special cash grant for rural women, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Minister Sadiya Umar Faruq affirmed that it had impacted positively on the lives of the poor and vulnerable in Nigeria.
“I have personally witnessed the life-changing experiences of people below the poverty line and those that are vulnerable to shocks that have now made a positive turn around after benefiting from the programmes” she said. A total of 2,560 beneficiaries are to benefit from the cash grant of 20,000 each to uplift the socio-economic status of the rural women in Kwara state.
The Minister hoped that the beneficiaries of this programme will make good use of the opportunity to increase their income, enhance their food security, and contribute towards improving their living standards.
She said the cash grant for rural women is a significant social protection programme aimed at uplifting the most vulnerable groups out of poverty.
No government has paid more attention to protecting and empowering the poor and vulnerable as the Buhari Administration has done since its inception in 2015, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Faruq declared, adding that the Federal Government in partnership with the World Bank also designed and developed a safety net programme under the National Social Safety Net Project (NASSP) and disclosed that Kwara State had received a total of N1,946,195,000 from the Conditional Cash Transfer programme from inception, impacting the lives of 34,304 Poor and Vulnerable Households (PVHHs).
She stated that eight LGA’s — Ilorin South, Oke Ero, Kaiama, Isin, Ifelodun, Ekiti, Asa and Baruten– were currently benefitting from the programme and that the social register was being expanded to cater for more poor and vulnerable households in Kwara State.
The Minister explained that the Special Cash Grant for Rural Women programme which was introduced in 2020 by the Ministry was part of President Buhari’s social inclusion and poverty reduction agenda, including the realization of the national aspiration of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
A one off grant of N20,000 will be disbursed to over 150,000 poor rural women across the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory.
At another event the minister delivered the Federal Government’s relief for 707 households affected by communal crises in Ondo and Oyo states which had to relocate to Kwara state for safety.
“President Muhammadu Buhari is concerned about the situation and has directed the Ministry to ensure that the displaced population is provided with basic humanitarian items,” Hajiya Sadiya Umar Faruq disclosed as she itemized the relief, based on NEMA assessment of 4, 242 displaced persons identified to be living in communities across Asa, Irepodun, Kaiama, Moro, Ilorin West and Ilorin East Local Government Areas of the state.
The relief items include 707 10kg bags rice , beans, garri, maize, 70 kegs of 20 litres vegetable oil, 35 bags of 20 kg salt, 118 packets of seasoning cubes, 59 cartons of tin tomatoes, 1414 mattresses, 1414 sets of mosquitoes treated nets, 1414 sets of blankets and 1414 nylon mats. Other items include 500 pieces of wax prints materials, 2242 pieces of plastic buckets, cups, plates and spoons, 100 sets of diapers, 50 cartons of soap, 50 cartons of detergent and 118 sets of tents.
