The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, has said $1 billion is being earmarked annually for Social Investment Programme (NSIP) by the Federal Government.
Farouq said this during the flag-off of grant for vulnerable groups and digitised cash transfer payment, on Tuesday in Osogbo.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Nasir Gwarzoh, the minister said that more than 12 million households had benefitted from NSIP interventions in the last five years.
“NSIP is one of the largest social protection programmes in Africa, with over $1 billion earmarked annually to cause positive change in the lives of the poorest and the most vulnerable in the country.
“Let me use this opportunity to inform us that over 12 million households had benefitted from NSIP interventions in the last five years.
“Out of this number, Osun State has 18,731 N-Power beneficiaries under Batch C1.
“Also, 15,908 households receiving monthly cash transfer of N5,000.00 and 95,983 Primary 1-3 pupils receiving meals prepared by 1,940 cooks, all in Osun State,” she said.
Farouq said that President Muhammadu Buhari has continued to pay more attention to promoting the plight of the poor and the vulnerable since his assumption of office in 2015.
She described NSIP as a strategy for enhancing social inclusion of the poorest and the vulnerable groups in the country.
This, the minister said, was consistent with the national target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within 10 years.
“It is designed to provide a one-off grant to some of the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians in rural and peri-urban areas of the country.
“A cash grant of N20,000 will be disbursed to the poor and vulnerable category across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“Our target in Osun State is to disburse the grant to 3,040 beneficiaries across the 30 local government councils.
“In line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s social inclusion, 70 per cent of the total number of beneficiaries is for women, while the remaining 30 per cent is for the youth.
“The cash grant we are disbursing today is expected to increase income and productive assets of target beneficiaries, especially when economic challenges at global and local levels are worsening socio-economic situation of our people,” she said.
According to her, NSIP is one of the largest social protection programmes which had impacted positively on the lives of the poor and the vulnerable in the country.
Farouq also said that 80 independent monitors would be trained to monitor NSIP in the state.
In his remarks, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola commended the Federal Government for uplifting the vulnerable from poverty through NSIP programme.
Oyetola also said that NSIP would be of great benefits for the vulnerable groups in the state.
He also commended the president for giving priority to the poor people in the society.