The Presidency said on Monday that it has made remarkable progress in the implementation of the Social Investment Programmes of the Buhari administration.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice President, Mr Laolu Akande, said the progress was in the commencement of the N-Power Volunteers Corps (NPVC), and the Homegrown School Feeding Programme.
“Right now verification exercises are going on well across the states, regarding the 200,000 first batch of the half a million unemployed graduates being engaged to serve in their communities,’’ Akande said in Abuja.
According to him, the graduates will be teaching, supporting the healthcare systems and educating farmers in the communities.
Akande explained that the Homegrown School Feeding had taken off successfully in Anambra, thereby bringing to three the number of states implementing the feeding programme.
The first states to implement the programme were Osun and Kaduna.
Akande also gave hints on the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) and the micro-credit schemes.
He disclosed that data of the beneficiaries of the CCT for nine states were now ready, adding that payment processes for the states were at top gear.
Under the CCT one million vulnerable and poorest Nigerians would receive N5,000 monthly.
Also on the micro-credit scheme, Akande said about 10,000 market associations and cooperatives were already registered and undergoing a vetting process.
He said that no fewer than a million Nigerians would get small loans ranging from N20,000 to N100,000 at very low rates through the Bank of Industry under the programme.
Akande disclosed that the loans would be granted with the active collaboration of such associations and cooperatives across the country.
He added that the Pilot scheme would take off soon in eight states and the FCT.
“As is the case in all the social investment spending of the FG, payments of the loans would go directly to the accounts of the beneficiaries,” Akande explained.
He said that in spite of the considerable constraints government faced this year in revenue projections, the Federal Government remained faithful to its promises on the Social Investment plans.
He gave the assurance that the programmes would seamlessly dovetail into the next budget cycle.
He also assured beneficiaries of the NPVC that the concerns expressed in the programme in some states would be fully addressed.
Akande said the administration also had plans to scale-up the Homegrown School Feeding Programme.
He said the plan was to increase the number of states implementing the feeding to at least 11 of the 18 states designed for this cycle.
The 11 states are Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Enugu, Sokoto, Kaduna, Borno, Zamfara, Ogun, Oyo, and Osun.
On the allegation that some beneficiaries of the Social Investment Programmes were being asked to pay fees, the presidential adviser explained that it was not a condition for enrolment in the scheme.
“No one should have to pay any fees to benefit in the N-Power or the Homegrown School Feeding programmes, and any such imposition or request for fees is uncalled for and illegal,’’ he stated.
He warned those involved in the alleged extortion of beneficiaries to stop such acts or face the full wrath of the law. (NAN)
