The Nigerian Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, on Saturday, in Lafia, Nasarawa State lauded President Muhammadu Buhari over the success of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).
This is contained in a statement issued by the Media Aide to the Minister, Mrs. Nneka Anibeze on Saturday in Abuja.
According to the Minister, the NSIP is unprecedented in the history of previous Nigerian governments, adding that the programme has helped to alleviate abject poverty in the country.
“Let me state that since independence, no government has done what the current government has done for the poor people in this country. Without fear of contradiction, the government has done so much for the poor and vulnerable.
“I stand here on behalf of the poor and vulnerable in this country who are mostly the beneficiaries of our NSIP to appreciate you.
“Under the NSIP, we have four clusters; the N-Power Programme, the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme which gives 2 million households N5,000 monthly. We give N30,000 monthly to our N-Power youths and so far we have 1.5 million of them.
“We have also been able to target small and medium entrepreneurs and we give them surplus collateral free and interest free loans from N50,000 to N300,000 for them to start their businesses.
“Under the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, we also feed Primary 1 to 3 school pupils on school days. We have close to 10 million of these pupils.
“This is why we are here to ask for the consolidation of these achievements, to continue these programmes so that Nigerians will benefit from them,” Farouq said.
She explained further that no fewer than 200,000 beneficiaries of the NSIP in Nasarawa State had also appreciated President Buhari for lifting the poorest and vulnerable persons out of poverty.
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