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Fuel Subsidy Removal Palliatives: 230,411 households benefit in Kogi

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By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.

No fewer than 230,411 households in Kogi State are expected to receive the Federal Government N25,000 monthly payment as palliative for Fuel Subsidy Removal under the first phase of the intervention.

Hajia Sadiya Abdullahi, National Enrollment Manager, National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) disclosed this while fielding questions from newsmen during the beneficiaries Enrollment exercise on Thursday in Lokoja.

Hajia Sadiya noted that the programme, tagged: “Renewed Hope Initiative Intervention” by the Federal Government was leveraging on the National Social Safety Net project structure to deliver its promise to Nigeria to cushion the economy shock of fuel subsidy removal.

The Enrollment Manager said that over 15 million households across the country would benefit from the N25,000 monthly disbursement for three months in the first phase.

She explained that the beneficiaries were sourced from the verified National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO).

“In Nigeria, a total number of 15 million will be supported through one primary recipient per household.

“In Kogi, we have a total of 230,411 beneficiaries for the first phase of the intervention which is one third of the total number of beneficiaries to be captured.

“This activity is transparency and accountability process; you can see we have displayed the list of beneficiaries both banked and unbanked so as to enrol them for payment.

“The system is fully digital, and the unbanked beneficiaries are supported to have bank accounts for financial inclusion,” she said.

Also speaking, Mrs Bridget Okpanachi James, Head of Operation, Kogi State Cash Transfer Unit, said the exercise was meant to display the list of successful beneficiaries and proceed with their data capturing.

She said that most of the beneficiaries were unbanked (without bank accounts) and “that is why we are capturing them to get their details so long their names are on the National Social Register (NSR).

“The capturing of their details will inturn qualify them to partake of the N25,000 monthly for three months to cushion the adverse effects of fuel subsidy removal,” she said

Okpanachi said the exercise would capture over 171,000 new beneficiaries in addition to about 74,000 households who were already benefiting from the Cash Transfer of N5,000 monthly disbursement since 2016 in Kogi.

“So in all, over 230,000 households will benefit in the first phase of the Renewed Hope intervention program by the Federal Government in Kogi State.

“This enrollment exercise is going on simultaneously across the 21 Local Government Areas of Kogi State”, Okpanachi said.

She noted that over 14,000 households would benefit in Lokoja Local Government Area and advised the beneficiaries to be patient and calm as there were enough staff on ground to capture them without waste of time. (Ends)

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News From Kogi

Group applauds Senator Echocho’s relief efforts in Kogi East

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Jibrin Isah Echocho

The Kogi Democratic Group (KDG) has expressed appreciation for the recent initiatives by Senator Jibril Isah Echocho (APC/Kogi East) in addressing the hardships facing residents of the senatorial district.
In a statement on Wednesday, KDG Protem Secretary Inuwa Lawal highlighted Senator Echocho’s distribution of rice and essential food supplies, which brought immediate relief to the local communities.
The group also praised Senator Echocho’s commitment to long-term infrastructure improvements.
Among his achievements, the installation of boreholes has provided stable access to clean water, and the distribution of fertilizer has offered crucial support to local farmers, helping to strengthen agriculture in the region.

According to Lawal, Kogi East has not witnessed such progress with the past senators, citing Echocho’s active representation in the 9th and 10th Senate as a “leadership with vision and mission.”
He urged the senator to remain focused, despite distraction from his traducers as he acknowledged Echocho’s unique contributions at Senate proceedings, committee work, oversight activities and through motions and bills
The group encouraged Senator Echocho to continue his impactful work, calling on him to sustain the progress that has benefited Kogi East and enriched the lives of its residents.

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Echocho’s Constituency Empowerment outreach Continues with donation of Rice, cash to widows

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Senator Isah Jibrin (Echocho), representing Kogi East, has extended his support to hundreds of widows across the Senatorial disctrict with the donation of 50 kg bags of rice and cash.
His special Adviser on Media Mikail Ibrahim in a statement that was made available to tye National Update in Abuja on Sunday indicated that the philanthropic effort is part of a weeklong empowerment program aimed at providing relief and support to vulnerable members of the community.

The distribution, which began last week and continued on Sunday, the statement said has witnessed a large turnout of beneficiaries, many of whom expressed deep gratitude for the assistance, particularly amid ongoing economic difficulties.
The statement pointed out that that Senator’s initiative is seeking not only to address food insecurity but also to empower the widows by providing them with the financial resources needed to manage their households effectively.
A representative of the senator, Alhaji Danlami Garba, emphasized the importance of supporting widows, who often face significant economic hardship after the loss of their spouses.
He highlighted that by combining food assistance with cash donations, the senator is empowering the women to make independent choices that best suit their families’ needs, thus fostering both dignity and self-reliance.

Echocho’s empowerment programs also target to uplift the youth and women through education, skills training, and entrepreneurship to create a sustainable and supportive environment for community development.

The senator’s initiative is a reflection of sustained effort to strengthen Kogi East’s economy, provide hope for a better future, and promote resilience among the most vulnerable groups.

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News From Kogi

INGRA urges Kogi govt to complete Lokoja-Ganaja road, mass transit scheme

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Hamza Aliyu, Executive Director, INGRA.

***Commends Kogi Govt on construction of Zone 8-Kabba Junction, Assembly roads

By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.

THE Initiative For Grassroot Advancement in Nigeria (INGRA), a Kogi-based Civil Society Organization has called on Kogi State Government to urgently take over and complete the Lokoja-Ganaja road to assuage the pains of Kogi people and numerous motorists plying the road.

Mr Hamza Aliyu, Human Rights activist and Executive Director, INGRA, who made the call in a statement on Saturday in Lokoja also commended the State Government for the completion of Zone-8 to Otokiti-Shettima-Zango-Kabba Junction as well as on-going Zone 8-Junction-House of Assembly-Crusher roads.

The Executive Director said that the growth of Lokoja metropolis as a result of population and development has led to upspringing of settlements on the outskirts of the State Capital.

He held that this phenomenon which is not peculiar to the state capital alone was visible in other fast growing cities adding that such settlements around Lokoja include Otokiti, Shettima, Zango and Crusher areas as well as Ganaja.

He noted that many citizens of the State Capital reside in these areas but commute to work in Lokoja due mostly to cost of housing and transportation among others.

Aliyu however pointed out that the removal of Fuel Subsidy by the President Ahmed Tinubu Government on the 29th of May, 2023 had exposed the weak infrastructure and poor public sector service provision.

This, he said, is particularly in the movement of people, goods and services which is critical for development saying, “This is particularly true in these settlements.

“The absence of a road network and a proper mass transit system, further exacerbated the situation with it’s attendant consequences”, he said.

The consequences according to him include: insecurity, high cost of transportation, bad health situation due to the tremendous dust that residents are exposed to during the harmattan season, weak standard of living, with pressure on resources and facilities in the State Capital.

He hinted that several governments had attempted to solve the Zone 8-kabba junction road challenge to no avail until the Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello administration began construction in 2023 with fears on possible completion when the regime ended.

“However new administration of Alhaji Usman Ododo surprised everyone with the speed and dedication it has completed the project with 10 months of the administration.

“This has brought a huge relief to residents of the area and rejuvenated their belief in this administration. We wish to commend His Excellency for this feat as it has far reaching implications economically and health wise on the area.

In this regards we also call on the Governor to also take over and complete the Ganaja road so that Lokoja citizens will finally feel the full effects of the “Ododo Magic.”

“We also urge the Government to as a matter of urgency follow up this remarkable achievements on roads by establishing a functional mass transit system in Lokoja the State Capital.

It is sad that citizens are left at the mercy of Keke and okada operators who decide the mode and cost of transportation in the State.

The Civil Society man however called on citizens to always engage their government actively by paying their taxes and protecting public infrastructure. (Ends)

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