1.9m Nigerians Are Getting N5,000 Cash Monthly – FG

Posted by Nwa Diokpa Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Thursday, March 2nd, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, has stated that no fewer than 1, 940, 004 vulnerable Nigerians are presently receiving N5,000 cash gift each every month from the federal government,

Speaking at a one-day stakeholders’ retreat on the National Social Investment (Establishment) Bill organised by the Senate Committee on Social Duties, on Thursday in Abuja, Farouq stated that the bill is to provide a statutory and institutional framework for the implementation of the National Social Investment Programme, NSIP.

Farouq, who was represented at the occasion by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Nasir Sani Gwarzo, explained that the NSIP was created in 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari to look into social and economic inequalities and reduce poverty among Nigerians.

She said: “A wide range of sustainable development goals including poverty reduction, education, health, social inclusion and empowerment can be achieved through the NSIP.

“Section 17(3) of the constitution provides that the State shall direct its policy towards ensuring that all its citizens without discrimination have the opportunity of securing adequate means of livelihood and ensuring provision is made for public assistance in deserving cases of need among others.

“Contributory social protection schemes such as social insurance, health insurance, and the pension scheme are all backed by legislation. The laws are, The Nigeria Social insurance Trust Fund Act, the National Health Insurance Authority Act, and the Pension Reform Act.

“The NSIP, which is a non-contributory social protection scheme is not backed by any law and this underscores the need for it to also have a piece of legislation.

“Since the inception of the NSIP in 2015, one million youths have been empowered through the N-Power Programme and additional 500,000 others are currently undergoing various trainings under the programme as approved by the President.

“The cash transfer has enrolled 1,975, 381 poor and vulnerable households from the National Social Register into a National Beneficiary Register. The NBR alone has 9, 841, 700 household individuals in the 36 states of the federation.”

According to her, the Cash Transfer programme aids the poor and vulnerable to improve consumption and develop savings skills to reduce poverty and helps build their resilience to withstand shocks.

She added: “A total of 1, 940, 004 beneficiaries are currently receiving cash transfers monthly.”

She also stated that public primary schools across the country “have witnessed an unprecedented number of new enrollment as a result of the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme”.

The programme, according to her is “currently feeding 10 million pupils in over 66, 000 public schools across Nigeria” and is “gradually reducing cases of out-of-school children nationwide”.

She added: “Currently, 2, 653, 333, beneficiaries have accessed the GEEP loans under three categories including Trader Moni, Market Moni and Farmer Moni.

“A total of 1, 142, 783 individuals across the country have registered to benefit from the second round of GEEP under the three loan programmes.”