Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has declared that her ministry engaged 70 independent monitors for the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) in Abia State to ensure that the participants in the programme comply with the rule of NSIP.
According to her, the ministry will continue to work for the betterment of all Nigerians.
Fielding questions from journalists in Umuahia during the distribution of engagement letters and tablets to the monitors Social Investment Programmes in Umuahia, the minister stated that the tablets had an Application that could be deployed to effectively monitor the implementation of the programme.
The minister who was represented by a Director in the ministry, Mr Ralph Obi, Farouq urged the monitors to demonstrate patriotism, commitment and diligence in the discharge of their duties, pointing out that they would be paid N30,000 stipend monthly for their work.
Farouq however warned that they “must meet up to 80 per cent of their deliverables monthly to be eligible” for payment. The minister charged them not to delegate their responsibility to other persons, saying “don’t feel that you are too big to do the job or that the money is too small.
“Once, the ministry discovers this through the focal person; you will be disengaged, immediately”.
According to her, the ministry would use the App in the tablets to see the real time report of activities of the monitors on the field.
Her word, “We can view reports submitted and see the NSIP performance indicators by state. This will enable the ministry to detect areas where there are challenges and provide greater visibility of activities happening in the field.
“Essentially, it will help us deliver on our mandate and contribute to President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty”.
The minister used the opportunity to launch the enumeration of pupils for the Homegrown School Feeding Programme in the state and explained that the President had directed the ministry to scale up the number of pupils enjoying the programme from one million to five million.
Hajoa Faroq therefore charged Abia to take advantage of the opportunity to enroll more pupils for the programme, even as she lauded the Abia State government for introducing the programme for pupils from primary one to three before the federal government’s intervention.
In his speech at the occasion, Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu promised that the state would continue to provide the enabling environment and support for effective and smooth implementation of the NSIP and other federal government’s programmes in the state.
He urged them to see the task as their own national assignment and opportunity to contribute to the success of government’s programmes in the state.
The state Focal Person for the programme, Mr Chinenye Nwaogu, thanked the President and Minister for ensuring that Abia benefitted from the NSIP.
Nwaogu said the state government was providing the necessary support for the smooth implementation of the four components of the programme, which includes the Home Grown School Feeding, Conditional Cash Transfer and Government Enterprises Entrepreneurship Programme.
He also promised to leave no stone unturned toward ensuring a successful enumeration and increase in the number of pupils benefiting from the school feeding programme.
The State Director of the National Orientation Agency, Dr Ngozi Okechukwu, also expressed delight that the programme was waxing stronger, unlike numerous government programmes in the past, which normally fizzled out shortly after their take off.
A beneficiary, Mrs Ann Onwuegbu, who spoke on behalf of other monitors, promised that they would discharge their assignment with utmost commitment and fear of God.
Uche Nwosu is a two time Shell Petroleum PLC award winner in the year 2000;
He won the Shell Award on Investigative Journalism and Environmental Cleanliness.
