NSIPA Insists on Full $800 Million Allocation
The NSIPA chief emphasizes no concessions on the $800 million conditional cash transfer.
Hajiya Halima Shehu, NSIPA’s National Coordinator, has reiterated her commitment to uphold integrity and openness in the execution of the World Bank’s $800 million Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) initiative.
During a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, Shehu confirmed NSIPA’s contribution to poverty reduction under President Bola Tibubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’.
She stated that the scheme is intended for Nigeria’s most impoverished, including Almajiri and children not in school, as part of the National Home-Grown School Feeding program.
Shehu noted that this entirely World Bank-funded initiative is currently operating with $800 million.
She explained that the selection of recipients is through a National Social Register compiled from the social registers of all 36 states and the FCT.
The National Social Register, she described, is a compilation from the social registers of the 36 states and the FCT.
She elaborated that the National Cash Transfer Office, responsible for disbursing the funds, identifies beneficiaries from the predominantly rural and urban poor in the National Social Register.
Shehu highlighted that those in the National Social Register are not politically affiliated, emphasizing their eligibility for the grant and the absence of external list collection.
Shehu clarified that the Rapid Response Register and National Social Register are independent of external influence, managed solely by the World Bank and key program architects.
She revealed that the CCT scheme is entirely digital, with all registered individuals having bank accounts.
Shehu announced plans to assign National Identity Numbers (NIN) to all beneficiaries, reinforcing the transparency and accountability of the process.
Shehu stated that the NSIPA Act, enacted in May 2023, tasks the agency with helping and elevating countless Nigerians from poverty and safeguarding the welfare of the impoverished and vulnerable, assuring the agency’s stability.
She outlined various poverty reduction programs under the agency, including the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), comprising sub-programs like TraderMoni, FarmerMoni, and MarketMoni.
Shehu described the National Home-Grown School Feeding programme as targeting primary 1 to 3 pupils in public schools.
Shehu specified that the CCT program focuses on the nation’s most impoverished, while the unconditional Cash Transfer Programme, or the Grant for Vulnerable Groups, targets the physically challenged and elderly, among others.
She detailed an Alternate School Programme targeting children out of school or at risk, noting the agency’s role in harmonizing and coordinating social intervention programs in Nigeria.
Shehu stated that the agency collaborates with national and international development partners to accelerate economic growth and enhance the living standards of those at the socio-economic base in Nigeria
