FG Begins Distribution of engagement letters, tablets to 4,452 Independent Monitors

... launches social investment management information system


Blessing Bature

Federal Government has on Thursday launched the Social Investment Management Information System (SIMIS) application, just as it flagged off the distribution of engagement letters and tablets to independent monitors nationwide.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq who unveiled the SIMIS application, however, warned against unethical practice during the one year of their engagement.

Farouq said, “A mop-up training was organized and carried out zonally from 25, March 2021, to 1, April 2021, to provide all the Independent Monitors that missed the initial training with the opportunity to train. Out of 5,000 Independent Monitors identified and shortlisted for the training, 4,452 were trained across the country. Today I am here to flag off the distribution of Engagement Letters and Devices for the Trained Independent Monitors.

According to her, “These devices are equipped with an Application that will be used to report on monitoring activities of the trained Independent Monitors. 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.

She said, the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) was launched 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, namely: N-Power, National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (CCT), and the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).

She observed that the NSIPs were moved to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development in 2019 following the creation of the Ministry and currently being implemented in 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“You may recall that we flagged off the training of 5,000 Independent Monitors for the National Social Investment Programme in Abuja on Thursday 4, February 2021. The first batch of the training was carried out from the 17, February 2021, to 27, February 2021 in 36 states and the FCT.

“Using this Application, the Ministry sees a real-time report of activities of the Independent Monitors on the Field. We can view reports submitted and see the NSIP performance indicators by state and detect areas of challenges. For example, under the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, we can see where feeding has taken place and where there is no feeding happening.
“This will provide greater visibility to the Ministry and equip us with information to follow up with implementation happening at the state level. The Application allows the Ministry to have visibility up to the local government level. It will guide us at the Federal Level to ensure that, the programmes are working in line with their objectives, and also task the states to ensure they meet up with their deliverables towards effective implementation of the Programme.

She warned that Independent Monitors are not allowed to assign their responsibilities to third parties, adding that every independent monitor will be held accountable by the Ministry for the task given to them.

While noting that the engagement of Independent Monitors is not new, he assured that the Ministry has “reviewed the modalities and designed a more robust and proactive strategy to monitor the Programmes. The Independent Monitors will monitor programme beneficiaries within their locality in schools, households, and market clusters on a routine basis using a standardized reporting tool which we have made available in hard copy as well as electronically. This would help measure the impact of these programmes.

Nah only aboki them dey give the letter,abi my eye dey do anyhow.

Yimu

Npower = Aboki_ power