NSIP: Applause for Sadiya Farouq

FOR Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, there is something for Nigerians to celebrate in the midst of the myriad of challenges confronting our nation at this point in time.  Indeed, there couldn’t have been better days in her tenure as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria than the last few days. August 24, 2021 was indeed a special a day as it marked the climax of a series of events put together by her Ministry to present a rejuvenated, thoroughly revamped and refocused National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) to make life more meaningful for ordinary Nigerians. First was the flag-off of N-Power Batch-C which sawto the onboarding of 510,000 beneficiaries as the first installment of the one million persons already qualified as beneficiaries with 490, 000 more coming in stream 2 of the N-Power Batch C later this year. Speaking at the event, Hajiya Farouq noted that changes have been made in the selection process of N-Power beneficiaries while pledging the ministry’s commitment to ensuring that the strategic objectives of the NSIP are achieved.

Some of the innovations in the N-Power selection and payment processes,the minister said, include the creation of the National Social Investment Management Systems (NASIMS), and partnership with key ministries, departments and agenciesof the Federal Government which the mininistry is said to be leveraging to effectively implement its interventions in different sectors of the economy. The minister also explained that the thorny issue of communication to Nigerians has been effectively tackled, especially regarding the limitation of information flow and internet access across the country. To this end, “the ministry has provided access to information via a USSD code. The USSD short code *45665# will provide the required connectivity and technical support for the provision of information services to our beneficiaries,” she said. While commending President Muhammadu Buhari for his unwavering efforts in eradicating poverty in the country and for sustaining the NSIP, the minister congratulated the new batch of N-Power beneficiaries and charged them to make optimum use of the rare opportunity given to them assuring that more Nigerians would continue to benefit from the N-SIPs.

Prominent Nigerians, including the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen and the Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment Ambassador Mariam Katagun, United Nations’ Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria Edward Kallon and Former Rivers state Governor and the Amayanabo of Twon-Brass, Bayelsa State, Alfred Diette Spiff who attended the N-Power Batch C onboarding event in Abuja commended Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq for attaching uncommon priorities to the welfare of the vulnerable and the downtrodden in the society. Then the big day came less than 24 hours after the official flag-off of the N-Power Batch C when the ministry under her leadership brought together multisectoral stakeholders for the launch of the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme otherwise known as GEEP. In a keynote address, the minister announced that President Muhammadu Buhari has given a nod to expanding the GEEP 2.0 to provide loans to an additional one million Nigerians including small holder farmers while the programme has been restructured to capture more beneficiaries at higher loan rates.

The minister further explained that GEEP 2.0 has been structured to effectively deliver soft loans and skills to a wide range of unemployed citizens, including persons living with disability, marginalised women and unemployed youth, amongst other vulnerable groups in the society. “Part of the new strategies include an increase in the loan portfolio of TraderMoni and Market Moni loans from N10,000 to N50,000, while the FarmerMoni is now N300,000 along with the provision of value chain and creation of digital marketplace for beneficiaries to sell their products,” the Minister disclosed. In a message to the flag off of GEEP 2.0, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said the government was desirous of touching lives across the country in an effort to fight poverty even as other top government officials pledged their continued support and cooperation for the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development in discharging her mandate which they described as a signature social welfare intervention of the Buhari administration.

The Ministers of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare and his counterparts in the Ministries of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen and that of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige as well as the Ministers of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mr. Clem Agba were unanimous in their commendation for Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq whom they described as the star of the Buhari administration for the multisectoral and far-reaching impact of the NSIP and for her relentless efforts in rejuvenating the NSIP to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty in line with the socially-progressive agenda of the Buhari administration. Meanwhile, a number of beneficiaries of the NSIPs have also commended the minister for giving them a means of livelihood through the NSIP. Wasiu Oladapo, an N-Power beneficiary from Osun State; Chinyere Dike a food vendor in the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme from Anambra state; and Jafar Suleiman, a retiree and beneficiary of the Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme in Kaduna state, expressed gratitude for being considered worthy beneficiaries among millions of Nigerians who are deserving of different spectrums of the NSIP.

The accolades received by Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq from different strata of the society over the success of the NSIP which has been described as the largest human empowerment programme in Africa is a testament to the unwavering commitment of the Buhari administration to achieve its campaign promises of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030.

• Ismail writes in from Abuja

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