By Stephen Adeleye

The Federal Government on Wednesday, retrained the independent monitors to ensure the effective implementation of all components of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) in Kogi State.

Speaking at the workshop in Lokoja, the Minister, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHADMSD), Hajia Sadiya Farouq, said the training was to re-orientate the participants to ensure better performance.

Represented by her Special Assistant on Monitoring and Evaluation, Mrs Damisa Dauda, the Minister urged the monitors to improve on their performance to ensure quality and accurate data.

According to her, the independent monitors’ unit was designed to monitor and report the activities of NSIP in their respective local government areas across the state.

”The National office of the NSIP through Consultants, is also monitoring the activities of the independent monitors and their performances.

”Please, help us to do your monitoring better as we need accurate data for proper and effective implementation of the programme,” she said.

She, therefore, advised the monitors to abide by the rules and regulations of the applications installed on their tablets, saying as any abnormalities would be detected.

She commended Kogi Government for givng the enormous support for the NSIP particularly the engagement and reorientation workshop in the state.

Earlier, Mr. Suleiman Abdulkareem Onyekehi, the NSIP Focal Person, Kogi State, urged the independent monitors to support and cooperate with them for effective monitoring and evaluation.

Onyekehi, who doubles as the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Projects, noted that the NSIP had had great positive impacts in the lives of the people and the had tremendously boosted the state’s economy.

”As far as we are concerned the NSIP is yielding the desired results in the state. We have increased beneficiaries in all aspects of the program,

”The number of beneficieries under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) was about 11,500 in 2019, but it has increased to over 74,000 now.

”The school feeding programme had 115,000 pupils in 2019, but has increased to over 258,000 pupils which have been revalidated by the National Bureau of Statistics in the state.

”Over 177,000 pupils have been successfully captured and are currently being fed in public primary schools across the state,” he said.

He added that over 14000 youths have been employed under the Batch C Stream 1, NPOWER program, while over 68,000 persons had been captured under the GEEP program for zero interest loan.

He thanked the governor for his commitment to supporting the programme wholeheartedly and always at the forefront of supporting President Muhammad Buhari’s welfare programmes for the people.

He further commended the governor for providing befitting office accommodation,, staff welfare, and logistics for the successful implementation of the NSIP in the state.

He urged the federal government to help States in terms of media coverage, utility vehicles for each of the component of the program for effective monitoring, and other logistics.

The Lead Consultant, North Central Monitoring and Evaluation of NSIP, Mr Tim Elebuna, said the workshop was to retrain participants to bring them to speed with the latest development around their monitoring and evaluation activities.

The NSIP was designed by the federal government to lift 100 million Nigerians out of abject poverty.

End

  FG, Kogi State, National Social Investment Programme, NSIP