Sadiya Farouq Latest Update On Npower And Other NSIP Programmes

On Monday, Sadiya Umar Farouq flagged off the commencement of N-power batch C1. In her comments at the ceremony, she reminded special guests of the 3 core segments of the programme which commenced in 2016 and is a key component of the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) of HE President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

i. N-Power Volunteer Corps which is the Graduate programme

ii. N-Power Build, which is a Non-Graduate programme

iii. N-Power Knowledge - Which is also a non-graduate programme but deliberately designed for gaining ICT skills. It includes the N-Tech Hardware, N-Tech , Software, and the N-Creative training programmes.

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N-power has a graduate and non-graduate component. In furtherance of Mr. President's approval for the restructuring of NSIP we have instituted processes to revamp the programme and to make it more impactful on the economy and citizens, the Minister said.

The N-Power Volunteer (graduates) are entitled to a monthly stipend of N30,000 for one year. The non-graduate beneficiaries are entitled to an N10,000 monthly stipend for 9 months. All beneficiaries are granted an appropriate starter pack for their trade to enable them to start their businesses in their chosen trades.

To ensures fairness, transparency, and credibility in the recruitment process a few innovations have been introduced and they include the online application and selection strategy facilitated by NASIMS as well as a USSD number #45665# to ensure ease of interaction and communication.

Other innovations include partnerships with key MDAs including the NYSC, the UBEC, the NPHCDA, the NOA to mention but a few, with which the Ministry is leveraging to effectively implement its interventions.

Batch C has 1,000,000 beneficiaries divided into 2 streams. Stream C1 is made up of 510,000 beneficiaries while stream C2 has 490,000 beneficiaries. Under Batch C1, a total of 450,000 have been selected to benefit under the graduate component, while 60,000 will be non-graduate beneficiaries.

On Tuesday, the Minister welcome special guests to the official launch of the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme (GEEP 2.0) another of the poverty reduction intervention clusters approved by the FG under the NSIP. Established in 2016 and domiciled in the office of the VP it was transferred to @fmhdsd in 2019.

The GEEP programme is a veritable tool designed by President Muhammadu Buhari's administration to end poverty in many forms. GEEP targets the unbanked and vulnerable but skilled population that has always been left out or who have not had access to credit delivery programmes and it is also directed at providing soft and affordable loans to finance their existing businesses.

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Further to Mr. President's gracious approval to provide loans to an additional 1,000,000 beneficiaries, with emphasis on smallholder farmers in the year 2020/2021, GEEP has been restructured and has now commenced as GEEP 2.0

The key features of GEEP 2.0 include:

i. empowering Nigerian farmers especially the rural farmers

ii. rapid scaling up of FarmerMoni to contribute to the growth of the GDP through the increase of agricultural produce, food security, and job creation

iii. MarketMoni which will focus on the underprivileged and marginalized women in the rural communities

iv. TraderMoni to empower and uplift underprivileged and vulnerable youth specifically those out of school (i.e scavengers, market wheelbarrow boys, orphans, and youth with special needs like PLWD

GEEP 2.0 will also have a nationwide reach to empower farmers in our rural areas irrespective of gender, ethnicity, or religion across all the 36 states of Nigeria; and It is anticipated to reduce unemployment by creating skilled jobs for the under-privileged with prospects of increasing IGR for the states.

On Thursday, HM Sadiya Farouq flagged off the Household Uplifting programme Conditional Cash Transfers (HUPCCT). Designed by the FG in partnership with the World Bank, the programme aims to develop a social safety net programme for the country under a broad-based National Social Safety Nets Programmes (NASSP)

To enhance the effectiveness of the programme and ensure fairness, a National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) was established to help capture data of poor and vulnerable households in Nigeria into a well-managed National Safety Register (NSR) using a community-based targeting mechanism.

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HUP-CCT beneficiaries are mined from that register and granted a monthly stipend intended to: improve household income, increase utilization of health and Nutrition services, Improve school enrolment and attendance, Improve environmental sanitation, and Asset acquisition while ensuring that Beneficiaries are engaged in sustainable livelihood activities.

With the flag-off, payments will commence in all participating states beginning with 23,893 beneficiaries in 3 area councils in Abuja Abaji, Kuje, and Kwali.

The ministry has directed the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) to commence a phased migration of beneficiaries from offline payments to online payments via accounts opened by Payment Service Providers (PSPs). Beneficiaries can now access their accounts using their PINs. 25% of beneficiaries are targeted, for now, in this phased migration

I am grateful to the World Bank, the NCTO, NASSCO, and other stakeholders for their patience and dedication, she said.

On Friday l handed over leadership of the Technical Working Group for repatriation of Nigerian Refugees in Cameroon to the new Honourable Federal Commissioner of the Refugees Commission, the Minister added.

The framework of the implementation of the Tripartite Agreement for the Voluntary Repatriation of Nigerian Refugees living in Cameroon was signed on 2nd March 2017 by the Governments of Nigeria, Cameroon, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

On the 22nd of August 2019, the first batch of refugees was airlifted by the Nigerian Airforce from Maroua Airport in Cameroon to Yola, Adamawa State where they were kept at a center center in Yola before being transported to their respective final destinations in the State.

A total number of One Hundred and Thirty-Four (134) refugees were returned during the first phase of the repatriation exercise. These returnees have been settled in Mubi, Michika, and Madagali; with one household that settled in Yola, Adamawa State.

With the large numbers of Nigerian refugees in Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, the Federal Government of Nigeria has officially initiated talks with the Governments of Chad and Niger to sign tripartite agreements similar to the one we have with the Republic of Cameroon.

I am happy to inform you that we already have a draft copy of the Tripartite Agreement for Voluntary Repatriation of Nigerian Refugees in Niger and Chad Republics, Sadiya Umar Farouq said.

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