FG trains independent monitors for effective implementation of N-SIP in Kogi

The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has employed and trained some youth volunteers to monitor the impacts of the integrated National Social Investment Programmes (N-SIP) on the people of Kogi State.

The Minister of the humanitarian ministry, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, at the training venue in Lokoja, urged the participants to pay rapt attention to all aspects of the training.

The volunteers are youths and individuals drawn from all the wards of the local government they represent, known as “Independent Monitors.”

“We need people that live in the locality where all these N-SIP programmes are taking place to monitor for us so that we can measure its impacts on the lives of Nigerians.

“The N-SIP was established in 2016, to reduce poverty as promised by President Muhammad Buhari, and to bring 200 million people out of poverty.

“So, the essence of this independent monitors is for proper monitoring and effective evaluation of all FG’s N-SIP programmes, which would give us the true picture of what is happening at the grassroots,” she said.

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Represented by Mrs Safiyat Sani, the Team Lead and Assistant Director in the ministry, the minister advised the participants not to exploit the beneficiaries, warning that the EFCC was already aware of the programme.

She stressed that the monitors were just to monitor the impacts of the SIP activities and not to supervise the people.

She noted that the job of the independent monitors would last for one year and not permanent employment, and urged them to put in their best in serving their fatherland.

Also speaking, the NSIP Focal Person in Kogi, Mr Suleiman Onyekehi, commended the Federal Government for the initiative, saying it would ensure proper monitoring of N-SIP at the grassroots.

Onyekehi, who was represented by the Program Manager of Home Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) Kogi SIP, Mrs Khadijat Karibo, reassured the minister of the total support and commitment of Gov Yahaya Bello, to the success of the entire NSIO programmes in Kogi.

Onyekehi, who is also the Special Advisor to the Governor on Special Projects, said that the N-SIP have had great positive impacts in the lives of the people of Kogi especially the less privileged and the vulnerable.

Mrs Falilat Abdulrazak, the Unit Head of Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Kogi SIP, said presently there were 34,345 beneficiaries of CCT across the 21 Local Government Areas of Kogi State.

Abdulrasak explained that the CCT has tremendous impacts on the lives of the people of Kogi, saying many of them have established businesses sustaining them and their immediate families.

The State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Amb Mohammed Abdullahi, assured the minister of the unalloyed support by NOA, to ensure that the programme achieved its desired goals.

Some of the participants, Simon Egwu from Olamaboro LGA, and Adams Imam from Dekina LGA, both commended the Federal Government for the initiative, saying it had elevated many of them from shackles of poverty.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

FG trains independent monitors for effective implementation of N-SIP in Kogi