From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
A total of 150 tablets and engagement letters were distributed to the independent monitors recruited to supervise the progress of the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) of the federal government in Anambra State.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, gave out the devices and the letters to the beneficiaries in Awka, the state capital.
The minister was represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics (PRS), Mr Raphael Obi Oraeluno. Also at the event was the Team Lead for the South East and Deputy Director in the ministry, Mr Charles Nwanelo Anaelo.
While distributing the items, Farouq said that the monitors were expected to work from June 1, 2021, to May 31, 2022. She disclosed that each of the supervisors would be paid a stipend of N30,000 monthly.
She explained that the beneficiaries would monitor the progress of the social reinvestment programmes such as N-POWER, National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (CCT), and the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) in their respective council areas.
The minister revealed that at least four persons were selected from the private sector in each of the 21 LGAs in the state in order to ensure that they carry out their jobs transparently.
‘As you are all aware, the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) was created by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 with the mandate of lifting citizens out of poverty through a number of social interventions which include the job creation programmes – N-POWER, National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (CCT), and the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).
‘These programmes were moved to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development in 2019 following the creation of the ministry. The programmes are being implemented in 36 states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory.
‘You may recall that we flagged off the training of 5,000 Independent Monitors for the National Social Investment Programme in Abuja on Thursday 4th February 2021. The training was carried out across the country from February 2021 to April 2021.
‘Today, we are here to distribute engagement letters and devices to the trained independent monitors. These devices are equipped with an application that will be used to report on monitoring activities of the trained Independent monitors.
‘All devices to be distributed today are locally made in Nigeria and the monitoring application was designed by an indigenous company.
‘The application, which we called the Social Investment Management Information System (SIMIS), is a mobile and web-based application designed for monitoring the National Social Investment Programme.
‘Using this application, the ministry sees real-time reports of activities of the independent monitors on the field. We can view reports submitted and see the NSIP performance indicators by state.
‘This will enable the ministry to detect areas where there are challenges and provide greater visibility of activities happening in the field. Essentially, it will help us deliver on our mandate and contribute to Mr President’s vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.
‘Each independent monitor is expected to monitor a designated number of beneficiaries of the National Social Investment Programme.
‘They will be paid a monthly stipend of N30,000, and they must meet up to 80% of their deliverables monthly to be eligible for their stipend.
‘The independent monitors’ engagement letters clearly articulate the scope of work. These include routine monitoring of all programmes under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) in their assigned LGA.
‘Provision of evidence-based report on findings in the field; submission of various categories of reports in accordance with the set timelines; attending all training and meetings as required by the Ministry and other duties that may be assigned by the ministry,’ Farouq stated.
Anambra State Focal Person for the programme Mrs Chinwe Iwuchukwu, represented by the programme manager, Home-grown School Feeding Programme, Mrs Uzoamaka Eriken, thanked the state government for providing enabling environment for the programme to thrive and urged the beneficiaries to discharge their duties credibly.
Some of the beneficiaries, Mr Kenneth Ayiba, from Nimo in Njikoka LGA, and Mr Obiora Okafor from Oyi LGA, appreciated the federal government for recruiting them into the programme and assured that they would not relent in discharging their duties.