From Aminu Dalhatu (Kaduna)
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Faruk has presented Engagement Letters and Tablets to one hundred and Sixty eight Trained Independent Monitors of the National Social Investment Programme-NSIP in Kaduna State.
While flagging off the distribution, the Minister said out of 5000 Independent Monitors identified and shortlisted for the training, 4,452 were trained across the Country.
Hajiya Sadiya who was represented by the Assistant Director in charge of ICT in the Ministry, Alhaji Aminu Tukur Bello said the devices presented to the independent monitors are equipped with an application that will be used to report and monitor designated number of beneficiaries of the NSIP.
“This will provide greater visibility to the Ministry and equip us with information to follow up with implementation happening at the state level”
“The Independent Monitors Engagement letters clearly articulate the scope of work. This include; Routine Monitoring of all programmes under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) in their assigned LGA, Provision of evidence-based report on findings in the field, Submission of various categories of reports in accordance with the set timelines”
The Minister who also made it clear that, the Ministry reserved the right to disengage an Independent Monitor for misconduct or non compliance with set guidelines and directives, urged them to carry out the assignment with uptmost sense of patriotism, diligence, and sincerity
In a remark, Kaduna State Focal Person, National Social Investment Programme, Saude Amina Atoyebi said Kaduna State had taken Social Protection seriously and it put in place several measures to strengthen the programmes being run in the State.
Saude Atoyebi maintained that, Kaduna is one of the first few states in the country to domesticate the National Social Protection Policy to suit the needs of its citizenry and the State is also working towards the enactment of the State Social Protection Law to provide a legal framework for social protection activities.
She said, since the establishment of the National Social Investment Programmes (NHGSFP, N-POWER, GEEP, CCT) in 2017, the combined programmes have supported more than 815,650 direct beneficiaries in Kaduna State.
According to her, Under the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, a total of 36,236 beneficiaries from 9 LGAs of the State have received fourteen successful payments from December 2017 to June 2020, stressing that, additional 38,223 households have been approved for inclusion in the programme.
“A total of 19,576 youths comprising 18,163 (Graduates) and 1,413 (non-Graduates) benefitted from the N-Power programme in the first and second batches”
She added that, 3,262 schools are benefiting from the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, 7,261 cooks have been recruited while a total of 735,280 pupils are currently enjoying the NHGSFP in the State.
She further revealed that, the engagement and training of independent monitors would go a long way in promoting accountability in the implementation of the National Social Investment Programmes, encourage the independent monitors to take their jobs seriously and provide accurate feedback from the field and avoid being influenced by selfish interest in the discharge of their duties.
Some of the Independent Monitors interviewed expressed gratitude to the federal government and pledged to put in their best toward the success of the programme across the state.