In a desperate effort to assure Nigerians that president Buhari’s is determined to make life comfortable for the citizenry, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq confirmed that about 1, 940, 004 Nigerians smile to the bank monthly with 5,000
Fielding questions from reporters at a retreat on National Social Investment Bill, she revealed that the essence of the bill is to offer an institutional framework for the implementation of the National Social Investment Programme, NSIP.
“Contributory social protection schemes such as social insurance, health insurance, and the pension scheme are all backed by legislation. The laws are, The Nigeria Social insurance Trust Fund Act, the National Health Insurance Authority Act, and the Pension Reform Act.
“The NSIP, which is a non-contributory social protection scheme is not backed by any law and this underscores the need for it to also have a piece of legislation.”
Speaking further: “Since the inception of the NSIP in 2015, one million youths have been empowered through the N-Power Programme and additional 500,000 others are currently undergoing various pieces of training under the program as approved by the President.
“The cash transfer has enrolled 1,975, 381 poor and vulnerable households from the National Social Register into a National Beneficiary Register. The NBR alone has 9, 841, 700 household individuals in the 36 states of the federation.”
“A total of 1, 940, 004 beneficiaries are currently receiving cash transfers monthly,” she affirmed
: “A wide range of sustainable development goals including poverty reduction, education, health, social inclusion, and empowerment can be achieved through the NSIP.
“Section 17(3) of the constitution provides that the State shall direct its policy towards ensuring that all its citizens without discrimination have the opportunity of securing adequate means of livelihood and ensuring provision is made for public assistance in deserving cases of need among others, she concluded
