The federal government has commenced the disbursement of cash grants to vulnerable groups in the Federal Capital Territory.
The government reiterated that it is part of its drive to pull 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.
The one-off N20,000 cash Grant for Vulnerable Groups programme, GVG, is expected to improve the living conditions of peasant farmers, artisanal workers and other indigent households.
The minister, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during the official flag-off of the grant for vulnerable groups.
Farouq said, “The Grant for Vulnerable Groups (GVG) programme was introduced in 2020 to sustain the social inclusion agenda of President Buhari’s administration. It is consistent with the national target 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 and peri-urban areas of the country. A cash grant of N20,000.00 is being disbursed to poor women and youths across the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory. Our target in the FCT is to disburse the grant to over 2,900 beneficiaries across the 6 Area Councils.
“In line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s social inclusion, 70% of the total number of beneficiaries is for women while the remaining 30% is for the youths. In addition, about 15% of the total number of beneficiaries is specifically allocated to the segment of the population with special needs, including Persons with Disability (PWDs), internally displaced persons (IDPs) and senior citizens in the FCT.
“The cash grant we are disbursing today is expected to increase income and productive assets of the target beneficiaries, especially when economic challenges at global and local levels are worsening affecting the socioeconomic situation conditions of our people.”
“With the creation of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development by President Buhari in 2019, I have instituted processes to ensure institutionalization and restructuring of the NSIP to respond to ensure the right beneficiaries are targeted, and to enhance impact of the programme on target beneficiaries.”
Over 12 million households Nigerians (and still counting) have benefitted from NSIP interventions in the last 5 years, including nearly 1 million unemployed graduate beneficiaries under the15,952 N-Power beneficiaries under Batches A, B and C nationwide, each taking home a monthly stipen of N30,000. Also, an estimate of nearly 300,000 non-graduates receiving training and starter-packs empowerment, in addition to a monthly stipen of N10,000 for a period of 9 months.
“Also, nearly 12 million poor and vulnerable households have been recorded in a National Social Regidter (NSR) from which 2 millionC1, 15,908 poor and vulnerable households have been mined into a National Beneficiary Register (NBR) who are receiving aing monthly cash transfer of N5,000.00, also and an estimated 9.8 million 81,416 Primary 1-3 pupils nationwide are receiving nutritious meals prepared by over 100,000868 cooks who are all women in the FCT.”