Story from Sa’adatu MAINA, Damaturu

In the quest to reduce poverty in the country, the federal government has flagged off a special cash grant for rural women in Yobe state.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Faruq who performed the flag off in Government House Damaturu yesterday, said it was part of its social inclusion and poverty reduction agenda.

The minister said, “we gather to provide support to citizens of our beloved country. I am delighted to have you all converge on this venue for the purpose of flagging off the Federal Government’s cash grant for rural women, which is a significant social protection programme of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, aimed at uplifting the most vulnerable groups out of poverty”.

According to her, since the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2015, government has paid more attention to protecting and promoting the plight of the poor and vulnerable in the country.

This, she said, informed the decision to initiate the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) as a strategy for enhancing social inclusion and protection of the most vulnerable segments of our society. “The NSIP, made up of CCT, N-Power, GEEP, National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, YESSO and CSDP is one the largest social protection programmes in Africa.

The minister also revealed that a grant of N20,000.00 will be disbursed to over 150,000 poor rural women across the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. The grant is expected to increase access to financial capital required for economic activities.

“A total number of 3,400 beneficiaries are to benefit from the cash grant of 20,000 each to uplift the socio-economic status of the rural women in Yobe State”.

“It is our hope that the beneficiaries of this programme will make good use of the opportunity to increase their income, enhance their food security, and contribute towards improving their living standard. I am also optimistic that with the support and cooperation of Your Excellency and other stakeholders present here, we can lift 100 million out of poverty by 2030 as envisioned by President Muhammadu Buhari”.

Responding, Governor Buni, represented by the Deputy Governor Idi Barde Gubana, thanked the federal government for the support to the people of Yobe State.

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