Hope, as FG rolls out social investment programme

It is consoling that for the first time in Nigeria’s history that the federal government has succeeded in articulating a social programme to cater for the needs of the most vulnerable and less privileged in our midst. The commencement of payment of N5000 monthly stipend to the poorest and most vulnerable in our society through […]

It is consoling that for the first time in Nigeria’s history that the federal government has succeeded in articulating a social programme to cater for the needs of the most vulnerable and less privileged in our midst.

The commencement of payment of N5000 monthly stipend to the poorest and most vulnerable in our society through the Conditional Cash Transfer signposts the determination of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to help cushion the effects of the present harsh economic situation.

To effectively implement the Social Investment Programme, the federal government spread it into four parts which include the home grown school feeding programme that targets 5.5 Million primary school pupils in all the states in Nigeria.

The Second is a job-creation programme aimed at training 500,000 university graduates who will be deployed to work in their local communities as teachers, agricultural extension workers and health support workers.

The third scheme is the Conditional Cash Transfer programme where one million care givers will receive a monthly stipend of N5,000 over a two year period.

It is worthy of note that this particular programme has commenced in nine states of the federation and the remaining states will in no distant time benefit.

The fourth in the series is the Enterprise Promotion Programme which is a loan scheme to be handled by the Bank of Industry. The programme will cater for about 1.66 million people made up of market women, traders, and artisans, small and medium entrepreneurs and youth that will receive amounts ranging from N10,000 to N 100,000 as loans to boost their business activities.

The N-Power Programme for unemployed Nigerian graduates and non-graduates has since commenced in June 2016. It is expected that the programme will create a pool of 100,000 software developers, hardware service professionals, animators, graphic artists, building service professionals and other artisans.

The N-Power Programme is designed to help young Nigerians to acquire and develop lifelong skills to become solution providers in their various localities and neighbourhoods.

From the foregoing, it obvious that the federal government has a clear-cut policy to tackle extreme poverty in a multi-dimensional way. It is also clear that the Buhari administration is the first to design a holistic programme aimed at empowering the most vulnerable and needy in Nigeria.

The sincerity and good intentions of the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari are also evident in the key strategic infrastructural projects being executed across the country.

In the South East for example the Enugu-Onitsha expressway, Second Niger Bridge, Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, Ninth Mile Corner-Makurdi road are presently being attended to, unlike in the past when rhetoric dominated the atmosphere.

It is pertinent to establish the fact that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is focused on rebuilding Nigeria’s dilapidated infrastructure and empowering the youths and unemployed to have a new lease of life. His programmes towards achieving these goals are unambiguous, verifiable and systematic.

Chukwudi Enekwechi, Abuja.