The Federal Government has assured that its National Social Investment Programmes, NSIP, will be scaled up to benefit more people as part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts to improve the lot of Nigerians in his second term.
Senior Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment Programmes, Maryam Uwais, made the disclosure in Lagos on Saturday, while speaking at a conference organised by the Reformers Arise – a subsidiary of Incubator Africa – a development agency.
Under the government’s SIP, are programmes such as Tradermoni, N-Power and Home Grown School Feeding.
Uwais, who is the driving force behind the government’s social investment programmes, insisted that the impact of the programmes has been far reaching as beneficiaries can be found in various communities where the programmes have been implemented and urged the media to visit the rural areas to confirm the claims.
She disclosed that the Home Grown School Feeding Programme, which provides one-meal per day in primary schools, has created several job opportunities for communities around schools and transformed the lives of many farmers.
“We have gone far in 21 states, but we hope to build on it, and we urge our media to go out and see how far we have gone.
“If our media go to these rural areas many will understand how far we have gone in 21 states.
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“This intervention is to alleviate poverty; we are seeing results; for instance, the Tradermoni scheme has been on since 2016, but it got more attention during the elections.
“I was at the airport a while ago, and someone ran to me. I was afraid, but he told me he benefitted from the scheme. He returned N10 000 and got access to 15,000.
“We have a WhatsApp platform with communities and we pay close attention to their needs; we try to do our possible best.
“That, for me, is development. It is transforming lives, but we can’t brag about this, as a responsible government that we are; we are committed.
“The Federal Government provides six million eggs and 594 cows weekly under its Home Grown School Feeding Programme to school children.
“The programme has made poultry farmers smile to banks. What about the caterers? We know that when people are gainfully employed, they shun violence.
“It is more rewarding when our media showcase this. The fact that it is not yet in the 36 states doesn’t mean it is not happening.
“Even those who have benefitted from this know it; communities have benefitted, but we don’t have to turn this into a propaganda,” she said.
