The Nigerian government on Monday explained reasons for the delay in payment of two monthly stipends given to beneficiaries of its social intervention programme N-Power.
“The ministry is currently engaging the NSIP (National Social Investment Programmes) Cluster Heads for clarifications; in essence, the handover and taking process for these two programmes is still ongoing,” Nigeria’s Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development minister Sadiya Farouq said at a press briefing.
She also suggested that the retention of N-Power beneficiaries whose contract had expired was also responsible for the delay for the payment.
“That N-Power beneficiaries enrolled in 2016 are yet to be exited 16 months after the elapse of their contract; they are supposed to have been graduated to a more productive venture,” she said.
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Farouq said the ministry was making efforts to develop an exit plan and that the money owed would be paid to beneficiaries upon conclusion of the handing over process.
She assured the public that the government will continue to fund its Social Investment Programmes and ensure that it touches lives positively.
Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, October 1 moved the National Special Intervention Programmes (NSIPs) which N-Power is a part of to the newly created Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development ministry with the aim of “institutionalising” them.
Buhari made the disclosure during his national broadcast to commemorate Nigeria’s 59th independence.
The Nigerian president explained that “Our ongoing N500 billion Special Intervention Programme continues to target these vulnerable groups, through the Home-grown School Feeding Programme, Government Economic Empowerment Programme, N-Power Job Creation Programme, loans for traders and artisans, Conditional Cash Transfers to the poorest families and social housing scheme.”
“To institutionalize these impactful programmes, we created the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development which shall consolidate and build on our achievements to date.”
Buhari assured beneficiaries of these programmes that his government’s commitment to social inclusion will increase.
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