The National Coordinator and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Program Agency (NSIP), Mrs Halima Shehu, has given an insight into reason poverty level in Nigeria has not been ammeliorated despite the billions sunk in the program.
She said due to hapharzard implementation of the programs poverty refused to give way
The federal government had launched several social investment programs aimed at pulling Nigerians out of poverty.
Critics of the programs said it has failed to address poverty despite gulping hundreds of billions of naira.
Speaking on Wednesday when she face the Senate screening, Shehu indicated that poverty still persisted in the country because none of the programs has been implemented logically.
Shehu, whose appointment as NSIP national coordinator was confirmed by the Senate, said “I will like to let you know that there are four components of the social investment programs, each targets a different type of group.
“The programs are structured and they have a design but unfortunately none of the programs have been taken into their logical conclusion. It is only when all of the components of the programme have been taken to their logical conclusion that you will find the impacts in these households.
“I will start by the conditional cash transfer program, it targets the poorest of the poor in the remotest parts of the country with a N5000 bimonthly stipend. This is just for normal consumption.
“The next component which is supposed to completely uplift the household out of poverty is the human capital development component of the program.
“While all the poor and vulnerable that have been enrolled into the programme are entitled to N5000, the next component of the programme is not for every household.
“A household has to enroll with a full responsibility before they are entitled to this grant. That is what they call the top up and that is the part that completely alleviates the poor and vulnerable out of poverty.
“The next component is the livelihood, which is one-off grant of N150, 000 to the household that has keyed into the coaching and skill acquisition they have been taught.
“So none of these program have not been taken to their logical conclusion.”
Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the social investment programs were too complicated to the extent that even lawmakers were confused.
“I don’t know whether the programme or programs were intentionally designed to be complicated enough to confuse citizens because this is the first time I am hearing that within the program is embedded the one known as livelihood.