Sadiya Umar Faruk the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, has on Wednesday declared that one million Nigerians are to benefit the sum of N5,000 for the next six months as rapid response intervention from the Federal Government to cushion the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.
The minister said the a, under the National Social Safety Net programme, will target Nigerians mostly urban poor, artisans and people who lost their businesses last year as a result of covid-19 pandemic as this is a support by the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari.
He disclosed this while flagging-off the disbursement of N20,000 cash grants to 6,800 rural women under the programme (Grants for Rural Women Project) in Katsina State
stating that since the inception of the Conditional Cash Transfer, Katsina state has benefitted over N9 billion Naira from the federal government intervention programme aimed at alleviating them from poverty.
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According to him, “The Federal Government in partnership with World Bank have designed and developed a safety net programme for Nigerians under the platform, National Social Safety Net. And this includes Cash Transfer and Covid-19 rapid response register for Covid-19.
“Mr President has graciously approved one million beneficiaries to receive another N5,000 for the next six months to cushion the effect of covid-19.
“This time around, we are going to Target the urban poor, artisans and people who lost their businesses as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic,” she stated.
The Minister said, “Katsina State has received the sum of over N9 billion intervention under the Federal Government’s intervention of Conditional Cash Transfer since inception.
“The grants had impacted positively on the lives of over 142,474 vulnerable households in the state.
“About 12 local governments are currently benefiting from the intervention. The LGAs include Bakori, Bindawa, Kaita, Batagarawa, Baure, Mani, Rimi, Danmusa, Ingawa, Musawa, Dandume and Kankara.”
On the Grant for Rural Women Programme, the Minister said, “A total of 125,000 women are to benefit from the N20,000 Cash Grant for Rural Women Project across the 36 states.
“It is designed to provide a one-off grant of N20,000 to some of the women in rural and peri-urban areas of the country (across 36 states and FCT).
“Our target in Katsina State is to disburse the grant to over 6,800 beneficiaries across the state. The grant is expected to increase income and productive assets of target beneficiaries.
“N20,000 will go a long way in supporting any serious woman to start a business. We know that people can even start a business with One Thousand Naira. What is most important is how you judiciously utilize the money. By next year, you should be out of poverty if the money is judiciously put to use,” He stated.
