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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, has dismissed claims that slots were allotted to National Assembly members, for them to bring in undeserving constituents as beneficiaries.
Shehu told journalists yesterday in Abuja that there would be no compromise in the distribution of funds regardless of political influence.
She described the NSIPA as the human face of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which would be taken seriously by all.
“The agency has been saddled with the responsibility to assist, empower, uplift and restore livelihood of poor and vulnerable Nigerians through its various poverty alleviation programmes such Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), N-Power, National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer and Unconditional Cash Transfer also known as Grants for Vulnerable Groups (GVG), Alternate School Programme to target at risk and out-of-school children.
“All the activities of the agency are designed to harmonize, synergize and institutionalize as well as provide coordination for all social intervention programmes in Nigeria through partnership with both national and international development partners.
“Through harmonization and synergy, we will be able to fast track economic development and improve the standard of living of those that are at the bottom of the social economic pyramid in Nigeria.
“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 President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Under my watch we have successfully kick started the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme founded by World Bank with N20,000 monthly stipend for three months and we are targeting 15 million households and so far over 1.5 million beneficiaries have received this stipend.
“We have flagged-off the Grants for Vulnerable Groups in Kogi State with N20,000 one-off grant that targets the higher percentage of persons living with disabilities. Both grants are to smoothen consumption and cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.
“We have also re-launched 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.
“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 in copted into the agency’s empowerment and skills programme in collaboration with the Federal 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 living.
“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 any administration.
“Therefore, the N-SIPA is the human face of the Renewed Hope Agenda 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.
