From Olanrewaju Lawal,Birnin Kebbi
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, has disclosed that about 13 million Nigerians are befitting from the social intervention programes of the Federal Government.
Farouq, represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Humanitarian Affairs, Alhaji Musa Bungudu, gave the figures on Tuesday during the training of independent monitors for the national social investment programmes in Birnin Kebbi, saying that the monitors would be assigned to their localities under the close watch of security and anti-graft agencies.
Bungudu, speaking for the minister, explained that the ministry is working with all security and anti-graft agencies to ensure transparency.
‘The scope of these programmes ate large, with about 13 million citizens across 36 states and FCT benefiting from the Federal Government Intervention,’ Bungudu said.
‘Today, we are training Independent Monitors that will monitor the programmes at Tue community level. The Independent Monitors will be assigned to monitor programmes beneficiaries within their locality in schools, households, and market clusters with the focus of ensuring that the primary objectives of these programmes are achieved.’
It was noted that the social intervention programmes expected to be monitored include N-Power, the Homegrown School Feeding Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer Programmes and government enterprise and empowerment programmes.
‘Please, be informed that the ministry will not hesitate to take you off the programme if you are found violating the terms of your engagement.
‘We are also working with security agencies like the DSS, EFCC and ICPC to monitor these programmes. If you are found engaging in any form of malpractice or fraud, you will be handed over to them for investigation and prosecution,’ Bungudu said.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Kebbi State Ministry of Budget and Economy Planning, Hajia Aisha M Usman, disclosed that 2,650 people benefited from N-Power in the state, with over 8,000 enrollment recorded in the second phase as well as other categories of N-Build and N-Tech.
‘The state got about 12,000 beneficiaries. We are waiting for the result of the last N-Power enrollment,’ she said.
Speaking with newsmen, the Special Adviser to the President on Legal Matters, Ministry of Humanitarian, Aminu Shamaki, explained that the ministry is working with anti-graft agencies to ensure transparency in the programmes.
