FG increases NSIPs to accommodate more beneficiaries


By Blessing Bature-Akpakpan


The minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Managemnt and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the expansion of the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIPs) to accommodate more primary school pupils, traders, graduates, farmers, among others.

Speaking Monday in Abuja during the 4th Annual Review of the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), Farouq said that, following the approval of increment in the number of beneficiaries, the NHGSFP will include additional 5 million pupils, “including children in non-conventional educational settings,” the N-Power programme will create jobs for one million beneficiaries, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programmes (GEEP) programme will provide loans to an additional one million traders, farmers and market people, while the social register is also being expanded to accommodate an additional one million households.

She said: “It was my pleasure to have attended the 3rd review meeting in Akwa Ibom in 2019, only a few months after the creation of the Ministry. You will recall that we had our first engagement as a collaborative entity at that event and recommendations were made by participants to improve the coordination, administration and implementation of the various Social Investment Programmes.

“It is therefore my pleasure to inform you that we have heeded recommendations, recorded appropriate progress and exceeded expectations. Since the programmes were transferred to the ministry, we have had continuous engagements with all state programme officials and have assigned desk officers to each of the clusters within the ministry, whom you have been liaising with for many months.

“We have continued to engage and collaborate with state governors on the implementation of the programme. The ministry is also working with federal and state MDAs, INGOs and NGOs to evolve policies that would support the institutionalisation of the social investment programs in the nation.

“We have restructured the GEEP program and other NSIPs to align them with our mandate of providing fair, focused social inclusion programmes to the vulnerable in Nigeria. Furthermore, the FCT has been included in the school feeding programme, while Kwara state is set to commence feeding in a few months time. The NHGSFP will soon launch a capacity building exercise for vendors and enumeration of all beneficiaries on the programme.

“Plans have been concluded for the exit and transition of the N-Power batch A & B through the creation of the NEXIT portal, which would allow those who choose to sign up to access other government empowerment opportunities. A beneficiary management system for the NSIPs is expected to be deployed in 2021, which would have the capacity to manage payments, address grievances and improve dissemination of information Additionally, you are aware that Mr President has approved the expansion of the NSIPs, as part of his vision to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years.

“The NHGSFP is to reach an additional 5 million pupils including children in non-conventional educational settings. The N-Power programme is to create jobs for a total of one million beneficiaries. The GEEP programme will provide loans to an additional one million traders, farmers and market people; the social register is also being expanded to accommodate an additional 1 million households.

“We have also launched the Rural Women grant, which will reach women in 36 States of the Federation and the FCT. As part of the Economic Sustainability Plan, the Shock Responsive Social Register is to be launched, which would provide grants funds to 1 million identified vulnerable persons in urban areas. We have also successfully created and operationalized the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities to better manage the needs of our comrades who have special needs.”