Sadiya Farouq, the minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, says the Federal Government earmarks $1 billion annually for the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).
Speaking during the flag-off of grants for the vulnerable group and digitised cash transfer payment in Osogbo, on Tuesday, the Osun State capital, Farouq said more than 12 million households have benefitted from NSIP interventions in the last five years.
The minister, who was represented by Nasir Gwarzoh, the permanent secretary in the ministry, said the Federal Government was paying more attention to promoting the plight of the poor and the vulnerable.
She said: “The NSIP is one of the largest social protection programmes in Africa with over $1billion earmarked annually to cause positive change in the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable in the country.
“Let me use this opportunity to inform us that over 12 million households have benefitted from NSIP interventions in the last five years. Out of this number, Osun State has 18,731 N-Power beneficiaries under Batch C1.
“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, who said that NSIP was a strategy for enhancing the social inclusion of the poorest and vulnerable groups in the country, noted that it was consistent with the national target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
“It is designed to provide a one-off grant to some of the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians in rural and semi-urban areas of the country. A cash grant of N20,000 will be disbursed to the poor and vulnerable category across the 36 states and the federal capital territory, Abuja,” she said.
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