Nigeria (Blank NEWS Online) –
The Delta state government says it has keyed into the National Social Safety-Net Programme (NAPPS) of the Federal Government designed to tackle poverty and unemployment in the country.
The claim was made at the instance of the National Social Safety-Net Programme (NAPPS) stakeholders and sensitization meeting held on Friday, July 15, 2016 in Asaba, to showcase the benefits of the Federal Government’s special intervention project designed for Nigerian youths and market women.
Speaking during the meeting organised by the Delta state Operations Coordinating Unit (SOCU), the State Acting Governor, Barr. Kingsley Otuaro, who lauded the Federal Government for coming up with the progamme at a time the country was been challenged with unemployment and poverty, said the programme is in tandem with the policies of the Delta state government to ensure the useful engagement of unemployed persons in the state, adding that the state had already set up a committee to work with the federal agency in line with the NAPPS.
According to him, the state government has within its limited resources and through its various empowerment programmes created 6,800 direct jobs and 10, 373 unskilled jobs in the pat one year.
“So, as a state, we have identified the importance of this safety-net programme and will not hesitate to key into it to empower our people and reduce poverty in line with our electioneering promise of prosperity for all Deltans. In this direction, we are willing to parter any Organisation and indeed the federal Government towards realising the set goals.”
Earlier, Hajia Mariam Uwais of the Office of the Vice President, represented by Mr Mohammed Brimah, Special Assistant to the Presidency on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Social Investment said the programmes were in five main segments, which will be financed under the N500 billion budgetary provision of the Federal Government in the 2016 budget.
Brimah who made a presentation during the stakeholders parley held in Government House, Asaba, disclosed that the programme is community-based driven with utmost transparency in selection processes.
While encouraging the people to register on-line as the portal for the programmes closes on July 25, the Focal Person and Executive Secretary, Delta State Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency, Mrs Shimite Bello, said that the beneficiaries of the programme were market women, farmers and youths and first time borrowers.
“Also artisans, teachers in health, agriculture and schools will benefit as they will be given stipends during the training. Those who will qualify for loan will get it at three per cent interest rate which makes it easie
The Delta State Commissioner for Basic & Secondary Education, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, who said that the implementation process would be done from the ward levels of each local government in the state for equal representation, urged the Federal Government to consider increasing the state funds for the school feeding programme in the state, since the primary school population in the state was over 219,000 pupils.
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Nigeria (Blank NEWS Online) –
E.I.C: Albert Eruorhe Ograka
