The Federal Government, on Wednesday, distributed engagement letters and tablets to trained independent monitors of National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) in Osun.
Speaking at the event in Osogbo, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Farouq, said NSIP was created by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016, with the mandate to lift citizens out of poverty.
Farouq said that the distributed devices had been equipped with an application that would be used to monitor activities of the trained independent monitors.
The minister said that the monitors were expected to oversee designated number of beneficiaries of NSIP programme in the state.
She said that the monitors would be paid monthly stipend of N30,000, while they must meet up to 80 per cent of the set target to be eligible for the stipend.
According to her, the programme will be on from June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022.
“These devices have been equipped with an application that will be used to report on monitoring activities of the trained independent monitors.
“The application, which we call the Social Investment Management Information System (SIMIS), is a mobile and web-based application, designed for monitoring the national social investment programme.
“Using this application, the ministry sees real time report of activities of the independent monitors on the field.
“It will help us deliver on our mandate and contribute to Mr President’s vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty”, the minister said.
In his remarks, Gov. Gboyega Oyetola, commended the federal government for fighting poverty in the country through NSIP programme.
Represented by Secretary to the State Government, Mr Wole Oyebamiji, Oyetola said that his administration was committed to meeting citizens’ needs, particularly the vulnerable people in the state.
“As a state, we are irrevocably committed to ensuring that our vulnerable citizens are duly supported.
“You will recall that our state has, over the last one decade, shown consistency in the implementation of a wide array of social protection programmes.
“These have continued to impact very significantly on the lives of our citizens and have earned us the pride of place as a leading state on the human development index (HDI).
“Only recently, we commenced the feeding of 30,000 persons, who are poor and are vulnerable, on monthly basis, as part of our own unique way of cushioning the effect of the current economic challenges on them,” Oyetola said.
Also speaking, the State Focal Person on NSIP, Mr Lukman Abimbola, said that government would continue to be grateful to the president for making life meaningful for public primary school pupils through the school feeding programme. (NAN)
