The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, has flagged off the disbursement of Federal Government’s cash grant to 5,428 beneficiaries in Niger State.
The minister launched the programme at the Government House on Tuesday, where she also empathized with the government and people of Niger State on the recent flood disaster.
While urging them to make judicious use of the funds to improve their living standard, Farouq said that the cash grant would assist persons affected by the floods to cushion the effects.
She said: “Our target in Niger State is to disburse the cash grant to vulnerable groups to 5,428 beneficiaries across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state.
“President Muhammadu Buhari, through his deliberate social inclusion agenda, has directed that 70% of these beneficiaries must be women, while the remaining 30% is for the youths.
“He also directed that at least 15% of the total number of beneficiaries must specifically be allocated to citizens with special needs, including Persons With Disability (PWDs) and Senior Citizens in the state.
“It is highly expected that the beneficiaries will use the grant to improve their productivity, create wealth, generate employment and improve their living standard.”
She also announced the formal handover of food and non-food items to the victims of the flood disaster and conveyed the assurances of the Federal Government to continue to support and assist victims in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directives.
The minister also flagged off the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme (GEEP) with 3,166 beneficiaries qualifying to receive interest-free loans ranging from N50,000 to N300,000.
In his response, Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello thanked the Federal Government and the minister for the investment programmes, adding that over one million people have been lifted out of poverty in the country through it.
Sani-Bello, who was represented by the Secretary to the Niger State Government, Alhaji Ahmed Matane, called on the Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs, Women Affairs, Agriculture and Youth and Sports to track the beneficiaries of the empowerment programmes under their purview in order to ascertain the progress and benchmarks made so far.
