As part of the economic sustainability plan of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has flagged off the disbursement of funds to 5,054 beneficiaries in Abuja.
Specifically, the minister said the figure was made up of 3,650 beneficiaries of social transfer scheme; and 1,404 beneficiaries of livelihoods grant, just as she stressed that the social transfer would run for 12 months of six cycles.
At the flag off ceremony, Aliyu revealed that beneficiaries under this result area would be receiving stipends of N20, 000.00 bimonthly payments, while beneficiaries under the livelihood grants programme would receive between N50, 000.00 to N135, 000.00, one-off payment, depending on the business category.
She said: “The programmes is anchored under the COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) scheme. It is designed to expand access to livelihood support, food security services, and grants to poor and vulnerable households and firms.
“It also seeks to promote recovery of Medium Scales Enterprises (MSEs) in the country and revive the economy, especially in the rural areas, where over 70 percent of our population dwells.”
Aliyu, further noted that beyond the NG-CARES initiatives, the FCT Administration in the course of the year implemented a set of other support programmes to residents of the Territory including the FADAMA CARES, CSDP CARES and the AEA CARES at different times and locations.
Presenting an overview of the programme, the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, said the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria led to the closure of many MSEs, loss of jobs, stalled provision of basic services in poor communities; and thereby increasing the population of Nigerians living below the poverty line.
Adesola also noted that as a response to the hardship perpetuated by the COVID-19 pandemic; and in line with the vision of the federal government of Nigeria to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in ten years, the government of Nigeria, on behalf of the 36 states and the FCT, sought and obtained assistance from the World Bank to the tune of USD 750 Million for on-lending to the states and FCT to implement a two-year emergency response programme, named the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES).
