From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Perturbed by the ranking of Nigeria as the poverty capital of the world, with over 93.9 million people living in extreme penury, the Federal Government has launched the 2021-2025 road map, a strategy aimed at improving the lives and livelihood of the masses through the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).
The road map, which was tagged “Mapping out a dignity for all,” also streamlined the activities of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
It attendance at the event was the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, and representatives from the Borno State government and the Office of the Secretary to the Federal Government.
Introduced in 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari, the NSIP has received its own share of adulation and vicious remarks.
In fact, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State had alleged that N1 trillion had been siphoned.
“Over N1 trillion Federal Government’s Social Investment Programme (SIP) has been siphoned by public and political office holders under President Muhammadu Buhari’s nose,” he claimed.
However, the NSIP national coordinator,
Bindir Umar, countered the allegation: “The ministry wishes to categorically affirm that the above unsubstantiated statements credited to the Bauchi State governor are manifestly false, and have absolutely no bearing to the realities on ground.
“The Federal Government’s National Social Investment Programme, launched by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2016 and currently being supervised by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, is very much alive, functional, dynamic and increasingly expanding to reach and continue to make a significant positive difference in the lives of even more poor and vulnerable households and beneficiaries nationwide, including Bauchi State.
“To claim otherwise will not be in tune with the realities on the implementation of the NSIP in his state, in particular, as regularly being reported in both the traditional and new media outlets.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, explained that the launch of the 2021-2025 road map would put an end to unsubstantiated claims and set the records straight.
The minister stressed that the initiative would also block leakages, simmer down the escalating unemployment rate, boost the economy and entrench social security.
According to her, the road map has seven strategic targets, which include implementation, monitoring, evaluation, review and reporting mechanisms deployed to ensure effective results.
“These key performance indicators and performance-tracking instruments will enable the ministry to monitor its efficiency and measure implementation of the strategic road map over the five-year period 2021 to 2025.
“In addition, the full implementation of the strategic thrusts and the road map, while consolidating the priority areas of the Federal Government, will also guide us towards achieving the mandate of the ministry by improving the lives of vulnerable Nigerians and mapping out a life of dignity for all,” she said.
Umar Farouq added that “this strategic road map is aptly themed ‘mapping out a life of dignity for all,’ in line with the ministry’s onerous task of effectively discharging responsibilities that are pivotal to the economy of the nation and the well-being of the citizenry.
“From managing disasters to responding to humanitarian issues and implementing social development programmes and interventions, the ministry is well positioned to proactively deal with myriad issues, such as natural and man-made disasters, social imbalance, inadequate food provision and inequitable distribution of social amenities among the citizenry.
“Under the guidance and effective coordination of the ministry, our agencies are collectively meeting the needs of our people, and through our National Social Investment Programmes, we have used the machinery of our cluster programmes to bolster the productivity of our men, women and the youths, and also improve their overall economic status.”
Shedding more light on the initiative, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, who was represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Adeola Ipaye, educated Nigerians that the road map was embedded in the Economic and Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP) and the National Development Plan (NDP).
He said: “The social inclusion has been a component of our Economic Recovery Growth Plan and the National Development Plan; it is also linked to the target set by President Muhammadu Buhari to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within this decade.
“A web of social security sits at the very centre of this web and remained at the forefront to deliver social security to people of Nigeria, which, I believe, is a veritable milestone in the life of the most strategic and people-focused ministry in the life of the Buhari administration.
“It is rooted in our belief that no Nigerian should be left out in the march to the future.
“In the North-East, the process of settling displaced persons in their community has already started. This represents the first step in turning the tide of peace in that region.
“This is why the strategic road map that has been formulated by the ministry is so important. Given the disparate initiative that has been given charge, it is noteworthy that the ministry has developed a framework dubbed ‘Leading an inclusive and innovative future thinking ecosystem (LIFE),’ for coordinating all the programmes under its jurisdiction and the road map establishes linkages with other government plans.
“By situating itself in the broad matrix of national planning, the ministry is contributing to the climate of coherence and continuity across all spheres of governance.
“The road map also rightly registers the importance of coordinations across all the federal, state and local governments, an outcome that is critical in driving transformation on the ground.”
Osinbajo charged implementers of the 2021-2025 road map to ensure effective service delivery in order to meet the yearnings of Nigerians.
“Like all plans and programmes, we recognize that the road map itself will be effective only to the degree of its implementation. Therefore, the Federal Government stands ready to start the actualization of this road map every step of the way. We urge all stakeholders to collaborate with the ministry to bring all closer to a mutually secured nation.
“This ministry is the last hope of rescue and recovery. It is my hope, therefore, that this road map will result in the practical fulfillment of the resolve of our expectations,” he said.
In conclusion, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali, remarked that, aside from the unveiling, there would be consistent training and re-training of staff to enhance proficiency and professionalism.
Alkali said: “After the launch of the roadmap, the ministry will, over the course of the lifespan of the road map, organise a series of training events and workshops for all stakeholders.
“A lot of efforts have gone into envisioning and designing these strategies and it is important that we must put all hands on deck to see to its successful implementation.”