NSIP boosts Plateau economy with N20 billion funding
The economy of Plateau State has been boosted by the injection of over N20 billion from the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) between 2016 todate.
Dr. Sumaya Hamza, Executive Assistant to the Governor/Focal Person, National Investment Programme, disclosed this in Jos on Wednesday during the distribution of Engagement Letters and Devices to 76 Independent Monitors in the state.
The injected funds, she said, represented the amount Plateau citizens have benefited so far from NSIP, which is an initiative of the President Buhari administration.
“Overall, more than N20billion has so far been injected into the Plateau State economy through these beneficiaries”, Dr. Hamza said.
“From inception, Plateau State has benefited tremendously from the programme.
“NSIP also seeks to provide job opportunities to young Nigerians who are unemployed, as well as encouraging Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurship,” Hamza said in her opening remarks.
Dr. Hamza said the NSIP was an effort by the President Muhamnadu Buhari-led Federal Government to provide relief to the poor and vulnerable.
“It is also a way of guaranteeing that primary school pupils get nourished meal while in school, thus increasing school enrollment/retention, empowering women and farmers, who are part of the value chain in the National Home Grown School Feeding Program (NHGSFP).
She said all these activities were carried out under four components of the NSIP which include; NHGSFP, Job Creation (N-Power), Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) and Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme(GEEP).
The Focal Person further explained that as soon as President Buhari flagged off NSIP in 2016, Governor Simon Lalong did not waste time in providing all the necessary requirements, which included an enabling environment that enhanced immediate commencement of the Programme in Plateau state.
“A total of 11, 408 benefited from the N-power among whom some got jobs and were honest to disengage even before the official exit date; there are 3,334 cooks feeding 259, 963 pupils in public primary schools classes 1-3; 26,000 Households benefiting from the Conditional Cash Transfer, more are being enrolled and over 2,000 under Co- Responsibility; over 6,000 beneficiaries under GEEP.
She added that the Government of Plateau State under the leadership of Gov Lalong was passionate on the intervention.
The state government she said would definitely continue to do all that is required to ensure that Plateau citizens maximally benefited from NSIP and all other interventions that would raise Plateau above the poverty line.
Periscope International reports that the distribution of Engagement Letters and Devices to the Independent Monitors for Plateau State was carried out by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq.
