By Blessing Bature-Akpakpan
Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, on at the weekend inaugurated National Social Independent Programme (NSIP) monitors in Cross River, Imo, Anambra Edo and Abia states.
The monitors, who were trained to collect data from recipients of Federal Government NSIP in their local communities, were also to ensure that government got feedback from the people.
Farouk, who was represented by Mr Kingsley Ngene, her Special Adviser on Administration, said following the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, she mapped-out NSIP to ensure that poverty reduction in the nation was accomplished.
Also In Anambra state, the minister, warned that the ministry would handover any independent monitor found violating objectives of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) to the law enforcement agents for prosecution.
Farouq, who stated this in Awka, Anambra State capital during the training of 150 personnel engaged to monitor the NSIP programme in the state, charged the monitors to carryout their responsibilities with utmost diligence and sincerity.
Farouq, charged the monitors to carryout their responsibilities with utmost diligence and sincerity. According to her, the ministry would monitor the monitors as it works in partnership with the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Directorate of Security Service ( DSS) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission ( ICPC) with a view to ensuring transparency in the processes.
The minister was represented by Mr Ralph Obi, the Director, planning, Research and Statistics in the ministry, explained that the monitors were carefully selected from private sectors who would discharge their duties without fear or favour so as to achieve maximum results..
“The National Social Investment programme was created by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 with mandate of lifting citizens out of poverty through a number of social interventions which include the creation programme (NPOWER), National Home-Grown School Feeding programme, Conditional cash transfer and the government enterprise empowerment programme. Today we are training independent monitors that will monitor the programme at the community level.
Also speaking, the NSIP Focal person, Chinwe Iwuchukwu, represented by the Anambra State Coordinator, State Operations Coordinating Unit (SOCU), Engr Bede Okoli, identified some numbers of beneficiaries of the programme in the state to include 8313 persons (under conditional cash transfer) from 6 pilot local government areas; 14,689 people for N-power between December 2016 to July 2020; and 126,958 pupils from 1060 public primary schools in the state.
The programme has has also kicked off in Edo, Delta, and Imo states respectively.
