FG flagged off NOA training For GEEP Extension


Blessing Bature-Akpakpan, Abuja

The federal ministry of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development has flagged off the training of staff of the national orientation agency (NOA), has Master trainers for seamless extension and the implementation of government enterprise and interest free Programme.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq, disclosed this during the opening ceremony of the training of personnel to champion the scheme, yesterday in Abuja.

Farouq said it has appointed 774 Community Orientation and Mobilization Officers (COMOs) to strengthen the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme (GEEP) that the personnel would sensitize communities on GEEP, register interested beneficiaries of (TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMonic), collect and collate necessary data, provide feedbacks.

Speaking on the training, she said: “This two-day intensive interactive training course intends to train the master trainers and to provide an understanding and insight to the processes, drivers, threats and opportunities associated with the core GEEP activities, adding that the training is expected to educate the Master trainers about the newly introduced structure of top-bottom representation from the Federal through State and Local Government levels respectively, as well as inform them on the roles and responsibilities of the COMO’s on how to register and enlighten the target beneficiaries on how to access the GEEP loans in furtherance to help eradicate poverty, generate employment throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

She explained, “The FMHADMSD entered partnership with this agency to appoint the Community Orientation and Mobilization officers (COMO’s) as the – ‘GEEP Local Government Desk Officers’ at all the 774 local government levels areas across the 36 states and the FCT and announced a partnership with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), to consistently raise awareness to positively change attitudes, values, and behaviours of Nigerians, particularly beneficiaries of the scheme.

She said: “The role of the desk officers will be to:a) Sensitize communities on the GEEP programme) Register interested beneficiaries of TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMonic) Collect and collate necessary data for the programmed) Provide necessary feedback to the programme coordinators at State and Federal Levels) Encourage active participation of the programme) Uphold the mandate of the programme and lead with honesty, fairness under conditions of oath.”

According to her, “the NOA is identified as one of the organs of government agencies largely spread across all states and Local Governments with the capacity to adequately engage, mobilize and sensitize the general public on Government programmes and policies. “It is of great pleasure to formally announce a collaborative partnership with the National Orientation Agency as one of the partners in implementation of the NSIP programmes since inception.

The Director General of NOA, Dr Garba Abari, encouraged the participants to take the exercise seriously that their training would determine their contribution, adding that his agency would be up and doing in ensuring that the message gets to the grassroots.