By Francis Ogwo
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the expansion of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, made this known on Monday at the opening ceremony of the 4th annual review of the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, in Abuja.
The Minister said: “It is therefore safe to say that we have been working tirelessly to ensure that vulnerable Nigerians are brought into the Federal Governments Social Protection umbrella which seeks to support, empower and level the playing field, so that they are better equipped to handle economic and social shocks while contributing their quota to society and to the betterment of our great nation.
“The National Home-Grown School Feeding Program is an important intervention because of the multiple wins it is capable of delivering. It is a vehicle for reducing hunger, promoting educational gains, health status improvement and economic stimulation.
“The long term benefits to our children and the future of the Nation cannot be overemphasised. Thus, we must resolve to remain steadfast in ensuring that this program reaches its objectives and improves the lives of its beneficiaries.”
According to the Minister, the Federal Government expects the plan would lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
Farouq also noted that the expanded NSIP would include an additional number of 5 million pupils in non-conventional educational settings in the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP).
Similarly, the Npower program would create jobs for a total of 1 million beneficiaries; GEEP programme to provide loans to an additional 1 million traders, farmers and market people; and the Social Register is to accommodate an additional 1 million households.
Other programs in the scheme include TRADERMONI, MARKETMONI, FARMERMONI, MSME Survival Fund, and N75 billion National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF).
