Federal government has on Friday Flag-off Special Cash Grant for Rural Women in Damaturu, Yobe State capital.
Launching the programme, the Minister of Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq said that “we gather to provide support to citizens of our beloved country. I am delighted to have you all converge on this venue for purpose of flagging off the Federal Government’s cash grant for rural women, which is a significant social protection programme of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, aimed at uplifting the most vulnerable groups out of poverty”.
According to her, since the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration in 2015, Government has paid more attention to protecting and promoting the plight of the poor and vulnerable in the country.
This she said informed the decision to initiate the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) as a strategy for enhancing social inclusion and protection of the most vulnerable segments of our society.
“The NSIP, made up of CCT, N-Power, GEEP, National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, YESSO and CSDP is one the largest social protection programmes in Africa. Since its introduction in 2016, it has impacted positively on the lives of the poor and vulnerable in Nigeria. I have personally witnessed the life-changing experiences of people below the poverty line and those that are vulnerable to shocks that have now made a positive turn around after benefiting from the programmes”.
Farouq further disclosed that the Federal Government of Nigeria in partnership with the World Bank designed and developed a safety net programme for Nigeria under the platform of the National Social Safety Net Project (NASSP).
The Conditional Cash Transfer Programme commenced in September 2016 with the aim of responding to deficiencies in capacity and lack of investment in human capital of poor and vulnerable households.
The Programme is designed to deliver timely and accessible cash transfers to beneficiary households with the following objectives, Improve household consumption, Increase in utilization of health and nutrition services, Improve school enrolment and attendance.
Others are, Improve environmental sanitation and management, Encourage household financial and asset acquisition, Engage beneficiaries to attain sustainable livelihood.
“The CCT programme provides targeted monthly based cash transfers of N5,000 to poor and vulnerable households, with the sole aim of graduating them out of poverty”.
“Your Excellency, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Yobe State has received a total sum of N980,070,000.00 (Nine Hundred and Eighty Million, Seventy thousand naira only) from the Federal Government Conditional cash transfer programme from inception till date impacting the lives of 24,814 Poor and Vulnerable Households (PVHHs). Your Excellency, 6 LGA’s are currently benefiting from the Federal Government CCT programme in Yobe State. They are Fika, Geidam, Yunusari, Bade, Jakusko, Nangere LGA’s”.
“I must note at this point, that the social register is being expanded to cater for more poor and vulnerable households in Yobe State”.
The Minister also revealed that the Special Cash Grant for Rural Women programme being flagged off today was introduced in 2020 by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development as part of President Mohammadu Buhari’s social inclusion and poverty reduction agenda, including the realization of the national aspiration of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years. It is designed to provide a one-off grant to some of the poorest and most vulnerable women in rural Nigeria. A grant of N20,000.00 will be disbursed to over 150,000 poor rural women across the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory. The grant is expected to increase access to financial capital required for economic activities.
“A total number of 3,400 beneficiaries are to benefit from the cash grant of 20,000 each to uplift the socio-economic status of the rural women in Yobe State”.
“It is our hope that the beneficiaries of this programme will make good use of the opportunity to increase their income, enhance their food security, and contribute towards improving their living standard. I am also optimistic that with the support and cooperation of Your Excellency and other stakeholders present here, we can lift 100 million out of poverty by 2030 as envisioned by President Muhammadu Buhari”.
Responding, Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni represented by his Deputy Idi Barde Gubana thanked the federal government for the support to the people of Yobe State.
