Minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development Sadiya Umar Farouq has said Borno State ranks among the highest beneficiaries of the cash grant for vulnerable groups.
Farouq disclosed this yesterday at the flag-off of the Cash Grant for Vulnerable Groups programme in Maiduguri, the state capital.
She said that a total of 5,264 beneficiaries from across the 27 local government areas of the state would receive the one-off cash grant of N20,000.
In her address at the International Conference Centre, State Secretariat, Maiduguri, the minister said Borno ranks among the highest number of beneficiaries due to the impact of insurgency in the region.
She said, “Our target in Borno State is to disburse the grant to 5,264 beneficiaries across the 27 Local Government Areas of the State. This is one of the highest slots in the country and this is because we put into account the impact of insurgency and the large number of Internally Displaced Persons in the state.
“President Muhammadu Buhari, through his deliberate social inclusion agenda has directed that 70 per cent of these beneficiaries must be women, while the remaining 30 per cent is for the youths. He also directed that at least 15% of the total number of beneficiaries must be allocated to citizens with special needs, including Persons With disabilities (PWDs) and Senior Citizens in the State.
“It is on this note that we encourage the Borno State government to note and emulate this gesture and extend similar interventions to amplify social inclusion through its policies, programmes and projects.”
According to Farouq, the target of the cash grant project is to increase the income and productive assets of the target beneficiaries.
She said, “It is highly expected that the beneficiaries will use the grant to improve their productivity, create wealth, generate employment and improve their living standard.”
While commending the Social Investment Programmes of the federal government, the governor of Borno State Babagana Umara Zulum expressed his gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for his concern for humanitarian issues in the state.
The governor, who was represented by the chief of staff, Prof. Isah Husseini Marte, testified to the impact made on numerous beneficiaries by the various Social investment programmes.
Meanwhile, the National Sensitization Exercise for the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) was also flagged off on Wednesday in Borno state. The awareness programme seeks to educate communities and stakeholders on more effective ways of implementing the School Feeding Programme.
The inclusion of five million children approved by President Buhari added to an already existing 9.9 million children currently being fed nationwide, necessitated the sensitization on the implementation of the value chain.
