NAGGW splashes N125.9m to train women in tailoring, knitting, others

No less than N125.9m taxpayers’ money would be spent to promote an “alternative livelihood” for Nigerians in the 11 frontline states by National Great Green Wall (NAGGW), an agency of the federal government under the ministry of environment.

The budgetary allocation which has Senate approval and assented to by the President reads as follows: ERGP19105077 promotion of alternative livelihoods” and “ongoing N125,981,003” for the 2022 fiscal year.

The figure, would at the end of the 2022 fiscal year bring the expenditure for “alternative livelihoods”, borne by the Nigerian taxpayers to N419,099,621, inclusive of the expenditure for the same purpose since 2018.

The new investment to promote climate change through adaptation strategy among these Nigerians represented 31.1% of the funds already allocated to “an alternative livelihood.”

Tribune Online checks revealed that the budget performance in the last four years suggested that about 69.98% of the expenditure was met to promote carbon credit in Nigeria.

The minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning had at various times while presenting the approved budget breakdown explained that the 2021 budget performed by 83%; it did by N89% in the 2020 fiscal year and performed 86% in the 2019 fiscal year.

The cumulative budget for these three years, (2019 – 2020) stood at N354,818,591 of taxpayers’ money, invested to promote a new culture of adaptation, to mitigate the impact of climate change in Nigeria, especially the rural communities.

For the three years, an average of N86% of the budget for alternative livelihood was expended to reduce the exposure of residents of rural communities from the impact of climate change.

The Appropriation Act 2021 reads “ERGP19105077 promotion of alternative livelihoods ongoing N141,067,454, this amount performed by 83% the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed said.

The Appropriation Act for 2020 captured the provision thus: “ERGP19105077 promotion of alternative livelihoods new N142,913,393,” this budget according to the Minister of Finance, performed by 89%.

“ERGP19105077 promotion of alternative livelihoods ongoing N70,837,744” was provided for in 2019 fiscal year, which recorded budget performance of 86%.

The federal government had earlier provided for expenses on this project in 2018 under the budget code “ERGP19105077 promotion of alternative livelihoods ongoing 64,281,030.”

Explaining how the respective budget was spent by the agency to Nigerian Tribune, the Agency in a response to inquiry by our correspondent said programmes covered under the alternative livelihood covered “Training in tailoring, knitting, Soap & perfume making; rearing and fattening of small and large ruminants.”

The National Agency for the Great Green Wall said it focused the training on the “rural women and youths in the communities in the operational areas” and it maintained that these beneficiaries of such training were “identified by their community leaders”

These trainings were conducted in “55 communities” by the implementing agency across the “11 frontline states” of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Kano Jigawa and Bauchi.

The other states are: Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Gombe and Zamfara.

According to the Agency, the N125.9m, taxpayers fund budgeted for the 2022 fiscal year would be invested on “new beneficiaries.”

The National Great Green Wall NAGGW had proposed N137,692,452 for the ongoing ERGP19105077 for the promotion of alternative livelihoods. The approval of 125.9 left a proposed difference of N11,711,449.

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President Muhammadu Buhari Friday at State House Abuja urged the MTN Group to make the available top-of-the-range service to its Nigerian subscribers…  NAGGW splashes N125.9m to train women in tailoring, knitting, others  NAGGW splashes N125.9m to train women in tailoring, knitting, others  NAGGW splashes N125.9m to train women in tailoring, knitting, others  NAGGW splashes N125.9m to train women in tailoring, knitting, others