The National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) says over 1.5 million households in the country have benefited from the Conditional Cash Transfer programme of the federal government.

The National Coordinator of NSIP, Halima Shehu, disclosed this on Saturday at a press briefing in Abuja.

Mrs Shehu said the beneficiary households received N20,000 each as part of the federal government’s efforts to alleviate poverty.

She said her agency commenced payment to the beneficiary households after she assumed office two months ago.

“Upon my resumption into office two months ago, my team and I have been working round the clock to ensure that we do not leave any stone unturned in our fight against poverty as directed by Mr President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.

“Under my watch we have successfully kick-started the conditional Cash Transfer Programme founded by World Bank with twenty thousand naira (20,000 naira) monthly stipend for three months and we are targeting 15 million households, and so far, over one million five hundred thousand (1,500, 000) beneficiaries have received this stipend,” she stated.

Mrs Shehu also said the NSIP has offered grants of N20,000 each to vulnerable groups in Kogi State to cushion the effect of removal of fuel subsidy.

She said the agency has also concluded plans to disburse loans to farmers under the Traders Moni and Market Moni intervention of the federal government.

The NSIP director stated that the loan to be disbursed to farmers will commence in January.

“We have flagged off the Grants for Vulnerable Groups in Kogi with a N20,000 one-off Grant that target the higher percentage of persons living disabilities. Both grants are to smoothen consumption and cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.

“We have also relaunched and expanded the GEEP that has components of Traders Moni, Farmers Moni and Market Moni, and disbursement of the loan to beneficiaries will start in January 2024,” she stated.

School feeding

Mrs Shehu disclosed that the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme will commence across the country as soon as school resumes for the new session.

She said the school feeding will also cater for the feeding of the Almajiri.

“National Home Grown School Feeding Programme will resume as soon as schools resume with an expansion to feed out-of-school children especially the Almajiri and they will be incorporated into the agency’s empowerment and skills programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. This sort of empowerment under the Renewed Hope Agenda will assist the at-risk and out-of-school children to earn a means livelihood,” she stated.

N-Power

The NSIP director noted that the federal government is aiming to develop the N-Power programme.

She assured that beneficiaries of the Batch D of N-Power will soon be enrolled into the empowerment programme.

“Government is working towards an exit strategy for the existing N-Power beneficiaries and as soon as that is done a portal for the enrolment of Batch D will be introduced, capturing the different components of N-Power such as N-Tech, N-Creative, N-Teach, N-Knowledge, N-Skills, N-Agro and N-Build.

“There is no doubt that any agency saddled with the responsibility to impact on the lives of millions of poor and vulnerable Nigerians becomes the human face of the Tinubu administration.

“Therefore, the N-SIPA is the human face of the Renewed Hope Government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and we are very much aware of the responsibilities bestowed upon us as an agency and we are committed to surpass Mr President’s expectation,” she said.

Culled from Premium Times Nigeria