NSIP: 3,415 Vulnerable Persons Get FG Cash Grants In Kogi
BY VICTOR BUORO – The Federal Government has commenced the disbursement of N20,000 cash Grants for Vulnerable Groups (GVG) to about 3,415 persons in Kogi State under the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP).
According to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, other beneficiaries of NSIP are also scheduled to receive their various packages.
Hajiya Farouq, who flagged off the disbursement exercise in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital on Tuesday, said the programmes include: Government Enterprise and Empowerment Program (GEEP 2.0), Digitised Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), NPower and Home Grown School Feeding Program (HGSFP).
She said the NSIP remained a project that is consistent with the deliberate National agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari, to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030.
The Minister explained that the GVG was designed to provide a one-off cash grant of N20,000 to some of the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians in the rural and peri-urban areas to ease them out of poverty.
Represented by the Director of Special Duties in the Ministry, Mrs Nadia Soso-Muhammed, the Minister further stated that their target is to disburse the grant to 3,415 beneficiaries across the 21 local government areas of Kogi.
Assuring that President Muhammadu Buhari had through his deliberate social inclusion agenda, directed that 70 per cent of the beneficiaries should be women and 30 per cent youths, Hajiya Farouq also added that 15 per cent of the total beneficiaries would be allocated to the people with special needs and the senior citizens.
She further said the GEEP 2.0, was in three categories: Trader-Moni, Market-Moni and Farmer-Moni, in which beneficiaries would get loans ranging from N50,000 to N300,000 with zero interest depending on the category, stressing that the GEEP 2.0 was designed for the vulnerable and low-income Nigerians involved in commercial activity and capacity but never had the opportunity to access loans.
The Minister disclosed that about 1,142,783 potential beneficiaries have registered across the 774 LGAs in Nigeria out of which 50,394 were from Kogi, adding that 14,404 out of the 50,394 registrants in Kogi have been verified out of which about 3,437 were enumerated and selected for payment in the first phase.
While commending Governor Yahaya Bello for his immense contribution and commitment which had ensured the great success recorded by the NSIP in Kogi State, Hajiya Farouq said a total of 9.9 million children are currently being fed nationwide with the President approving an additional five million children to be covered by the programme.
Hajiya Farouq urged all beneficiaries of the various programmes to use the grants and loans to improve their productivity, create wealth, and employment, as well as improve their living standards.
The Minister, who also condoled the government and the people of Kogi over the recent flood disaster that ravaged the state, noted that the Federal Government through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had donated some relief items to ameliorate the sufferings and hardship being faced by the victims.
In his remarks, Governor Bello thanked the President and the Minister for all the various intervention programmes that the federal government had put in place for the Kogi people and Nigerians at large.
The governor, represented by the Head of Service, Mrs Hannah Odiyo, thanked the Ministry for identifying with the people of Kogi during the flood disaster that ravaged the state, noting that aside from partnering with the federal government on NSIP, Kogi State established healthcare programme, known as ‘Bello Care Programme’, that is currently handling free-of-charge the health needs of the vulnerable citizens in the state.
The governor said that as “a pacesetter”, he remains committed and will not relent in setting the pace for others to follow in all aspects of the economy, even as he urged the Federal Government to do everything within its power to make Kogi a disaster resilient state so that it could withstand the incessant flood disasters.
Earlier in his speech, the State’s NSIP Focal Person, Hon Abdukareem Suleiman Onyekehi, described the programmes as huge and unprecedented in meeting the government’s aims and objectives of eradicating poverty and creating jobs.
Onyekehi, who doubles as the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Projects, said a total of 353,768 beneficiaries had, directly and indirectly, benefitted from the NSIP in Kogi State, noting that 12,964 youths benefitted in the Npower Batch A and B, while over 26,000 are benefiting in batch C (Stream 1&2) with N30,000 monthly stipend.
He also said about 200,000 public school pupils are currently benefitting from the school feeding programme with the engagement of 3,000 cooks in the state, adding that over 74,000 poor and vulnerable citizens are beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer who are receiving N10,000 bi-monthly, aimed at eradicating poverty in the state.
The Focal person commended the President, the Minister and the Governor for the laudable programmes that have so far benefitted the Kogi people, especially the vulnerable citizens.
The representatives of the Minister and the Governor presented the cash grants and other items to the various beneficiaries based on their categories.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Chairman of Persons with Disability in Kogi State, Mr Ibrahim Arome, appreciated the President, the Minister, the Governor and the focal person for the kind gesture.
Arome lauded Governor Bello for the practical inclusion of persons with disability in the state, saying they have been involved directly in all the intervention programmes. – With NAN reports
