By Olamide Francis
The Federal Government has commenced the disbursement of a cash grant of five hundred and sixty million naira (N560 million) to Anambra State women under the rural women project.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Faruk, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali, said the Grant for Rural Women programme was introduced in 2020 to sustain the social inclusion agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration.
According to the Minister, “With the creation of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development by President Buhari in 2019, these programmes are being restructured and revamped to respond to peculiarities of different parts of the country.
“This is to ensure that the right beneficiaries are empowered and to enhance the impact on them. “The Ministry is also working tirelessly to address some of the socio-economic problems that are bedevilling all parts of the country by strengthening the humanitarian-development-peace nexus,” she said.
She also said that since the inception of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2015, the Federal Government has paid more attention to addressing the plight of the poor and vulnerable in the country despite the economic slump and glaring revenue challenges.
According to her, since its introduction in 2016, the social investment programme has impacted positively on the lives of the poor and vulnerable in Nigeria as over 12 million households have benefitted from NSIP interventions in the last 5 years.
“It is consistent with the President’s new national vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
“It is designed to provide a one-off grant to some of the poorest and most vulnerable women in rural and peri-urban areas of the country.
“A cash grant of N20,000.00 will be disbursed to about 125,000 poor women across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory. “The grant is expected to increase income and productive assets of target beneficiaries.
“It is our hope that the beneficiaries of this programme will make good use of the grant to generally contribute towards improving their living standards.
“We believe with the complementary effort of the state government, the target beneficiaries will all be adequately covered within the next few days.
“I am optimistic that with the support and cooperation of Your Excellency and other stakeholders present here, we will remain on track to improving the livelihood of the ordinary Nigerians,” she stated
The governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, represented by the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Ndidi Mezue, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government towards empowering the vulnerable in the state.
The governor also advised the women to use the money judiciously to better their lives. Some of the beneficiaries who spoke to The Daily Times said the money was like a dream and it would go along way in bettering their lives.
One Mrs. Chinwe Uba, who spoke with journalists was so excited, saying she cannot remember when last she touched N20,000 as her own.