The federal government has announced plans to begin disbursing N20,000 to women and men in rural areas across the country through the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).
The grant for vulnerable groups programme was launched in 2020 to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration’s social inclusion agenda. It is consistent with the national goal of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in ten years.
Sadiya Umar Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, made the announcement yesterday in Abuja during a media briefing with stakeholders on the grant for vulnerable people.
Farouq explained that the grant was intended to provide a one-time payment to some of the country’s poorest and most vulnerable women in rural and peri-urban areas.
“A cash grant of N20,000.00 will be distributed to poor women and men across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory,” she said.
Farouq urged the recipients to make good use of the grant by increasing productive activities that would generate more income and improve their living standards.
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“The primary goal of the programme is to increase the income and productive assets of target beneficiaries,” she explained.
“The specific goals are to increase access to financial capital required for economic and income-generating activities, promote financial inclusion among unbanked and underserved populations, and contribute to improving their living standards.”
In line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s social inclusion agenda, she stated that 70% of the total number of beneficiaries are women, with the remaining 30% being men.
Furthermore, she stated that approximately 15% of the total number of beneficiaries is specifically allocated to the segment of the population with special needs, which includes Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and senior citizens in the country, forcibly displaced persons (internally displaced persons, returnees, etc), widows and orphans.
“The programme is aimed at poor rural and peri-urban women and men of productive age 18 and above,” she explained.
She stated that the ministry was collaborating with critical Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), state governments, and NGOs/CSOs to identify, select, and mobilise beneficiaries.
“The ministry has used the services of Payment Service Providers (PSPs) who are all registered with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to disburse funds.” The cash grant of N20,000.00 is distributed to target beneficiaries in physical form as well as through bank accounts or wallets.
“We will begin disbursement in the FCT on Thursday, July 28, 2022, and the programme will then be rolled out in all 36 states and the FCT as planned,” she added.
