Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq urges kwarans to be informed about N-SIP/KWASSIP.

By : TIJJANI IBRAHIM


NATIONAL  SOCIAL INVESTMENT PROGRAM IN KWARA STATE.
The National Social Investment Program of Nigeria is a social welfare initiative created by the federal Government of Nigeria in 2016 under the direction of the National Social Investment office.
The program is meant to empower the youths, children and women to address poverty and help increase economic development.
The National Social Investment Program include:-
N-POWER
Conditional Cash Transfer
Home Grown School Feeding Program (HGSFP).
Government Enterprise and Empowerment Program (GEEP).

N-POWER
The N-power corps currently involves a massive deployment of 500,000 trained graduates to support various identified sectors for growth and productivity. Currently 15,248   N-power volunteer are enrolled in Kwara State.
The N-power program has two components which include:
Graduate
The N-power graduate includes: N-Agro, N-Health, N-Teach and N-Tax. The first batch of N-power volunteers was enrolled in 2016 and the second batch in 2017.
The total number of volunteers in Kwara State as at date is 15,248. They receive a stipend of N30, 000 each per month, the total sum of N434,670,000 are paid to kwara state beneficiaries every month.


Non- Graduate
The implementation of the Non-graduate components started in July 2018, this categories includes: N-Build, N-Creative, N-Knowledge, they are trained at IVTECH Ajase- Ipo and they receive a stipend of N10,000 each per month.
 This category currently has 657 participants in Kwara State and the total sum of N6,570,000 are paid at the end of every month


THE CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFER

The Conditional Cash Transfer program is aimed at reducing poverty among the poor and vulnerable household to the bearest minimum
It was established in 2016 and  kwara state  is one of the pioneer eight state in Nigeria.
The sum of N5,000 is paid monthly though it was later made bi-monthly where the total sum of N10,000  is given to beneficiaries .
Also the second component of the household uplifting programme which is the CO -RESPONSIBILITY of the programme where  beneficiaries are drawn from the existing households with children of 0- 5years,  pregnant women, lactating mothers are given additional N5000 as TOP UP by the World Bank, with total beneficiaries of 6,649.
The CO-RESPONSIBILITY provides for health, Environment, Education, and Nutrition as options.
Kwara state, keyed into Health and the additional money is meant for them to attend hospital for immunization, Antenatal, Postnatal and minor ailments treatment.
Moreso, the third components of the Household uplifting programme is LIVELIHOOD. This component looks into savings and group mobilization for sustainability and improve household consumptions. To this effects we have 824 savings and cooperative groups formed among the beneficiaries with reasonable amount without compelled to,  but as away for them to live on after the programme is put to an end.
Presently kwara state has 33,268 beneficiaries.
For the enrollment processes, YESSO a  coordinating body that CCT get data from and vested with the responsibility of generating and carry out enumeration which is done from the LGAs officers with confirmation from the community members testifying the vulnerability of the person and such data is sent to NASSCO at federal, once the data is confirmed at the World Bank as no objection,then the CCT  mine such data from the state SOCU also known as YESSO then  beneficiaries can be engaged.

HOME GROWN SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAM (HGSFP)

The Home Grown School Feeding Program is part of the N-SIP aimed at feeding the pupils in public primary school across the country and Kwara state is not an exemption.
Since the inceptions of the programme in 2016, the programme was not give priority not until now that the present administration focused on it.

 His Excellency, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq had immediately  prompt the release of fund to hold a stakeholders meeting with the special adviser to  the president on the programme where Kwarans designed the structure and plan menu to feed their pupils as His Excellency  flagged off  and  inaugurated the programme.
The federal government  take care of meal of pupils from primary 1 to primary 3 and the state government take care of pupils from primary 4 to primary 6,  which Kwara state is one of the fourth state that have keyed into this , others are Osun, Kaduna and Benue state.
The Home Grown School Feeding programme( HGSFP) implementation committee which constituted expected stakeholders from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)  appreciate the selfless efforts of His Excellency Governor of kwara state to have ordered the free distribution of the Forms of interested cooks as a way of supporting the poor and unengaged women, such forms unfortunately was  sold and the programme was not given much priority in the past administration.

GOVERNMENT ENTERPRISE AND EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM

This program is designed to  provide small loans to boost small scale businesses in the markets , which His Excellency Vice President Prof.Yemi Osinbajo flagged off and inaugurated some time last year to support women with N10,000 as a soft loan to be paid back and then enjoy the next stage.
Unfortunately, many beneficiaries didn't pay back or the  channel for payment was not identified , therefore, beneficiaries  could not fulfill their pledges.
Though this component is going through restructuring to seeing its achieve the objective.
KWARA SOCIAL INVESTMENT PROGRAMME (KWASSIP)
His Excellency Mallam AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq sees government as a continuity and as such focuses on the state development and  his priority is to provide a BETTER LIFE for KWARANS.
Is in this view that His Excellency Mallam AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq keyed into the programme to replicate it in the state as follows:
1-OWO ARUGBO stipend for old and aged people in the state, which  will soon start to support old people in the state.
2- OWO ISOWO a soft loan to petty traders on the streets and communities.
3- OUNJE OFE this is the Collaboration with the NHGSF where state feeds primary 4 to 6.
4- K Power where the unskilled youths are enroll in to a training after which they receive support from the state government to be independent.
However, just to mention few His Excellency Governor  of Kwara state shall also focuses on different categories of  supports and softs loan to KWARANS as a way of getting good governance to the grass roots.
Such is the thousands of unengaged women that will be employed as food vendors across the sixteen local government in over one thousand five hundred plus  public primary Schools in the state.

National Social Investment (NSIP) and the Kwara State(KWASSIP) are wearing a new face where more beneficiaries shall be engaged.
Thank you.
     HAJIA BASHIRAH ABDULRASAQ,
     FOCAL PERSON, N-SIP KWARA STATE