About 226, 760 poor and vulnerable households across Nasarawa State have benefited from the Federal Government’s Household Prosperity and Empowerment (HOPE) programme.

The HOPE Programme Manager in Nasarawa State, Rhoda Agbawu, disclosed this at the one-day stakeholders’ engagement on HOPE implementation on Saturday in Lafia.

Mrs Agbawu said that the engagement was aimed at facilitating effective stakeholders’ participation in programme implementation, assessing the level of interest, and supporting the sustainability plan for the project.

She said, “This meeting is being held to ensure inclusiveness in the implementation process. That is why we carefully selected ministries, departments, agencies, civil society groups and faith-based organisations. They are relevant to the sustainability of this programme. We will not allow all the efforts of the federal and state governments to go to waste. We already have Nasarawa State Investments Programme Agency, so rolling the programme into the state institution will not be a problem.’’

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She applauded President Bola Tinubu for initiating the programme and thanked the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, for his compassionate heart toward the poor and vulnerable in the state.

Also speaking, Director General, Nasarawa State Social Investment Agency (NSSIA) and HOPE Focal Person, Imran Jibrin, said that the programme targeted 15 million poor and vulnerable households nationwide through direct cash transfer.

He disclosed that more than two million poor and vulnerable households benefited from the programme nationwide, with more than N300 billion spent across the nation.

Mr Jibrin noted that Nasarawa State, through the State Cash Transfer Unit, had expended millions of naira to support thousands of households, saying that families who once faced daily struggles were now enjoying a measure of stability.

He said, “Mothers are better able to feed and care for their children, while households have access to steady support, and this brings dignity and hope for a brighter future. Nasarawa State, under the visionary leadership of Sule, has not only keyed into this laudable initiative but also domesticated it to reach more citizens given the impacts of the programme. More than 10,000 vulnerable households across the 13 local government areas have been empowered through the state’s conditional cash transfer since its inception in 2021.’’

Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hauwa Jugbo, represented by Larai Tsaku, thanked Messrs Tinubu and Sule for their commitment to the programme, which had renewed hope of the vulnerable.

Representative of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Samson Osuo, lauded the government for the initiative.

He, however, appealed for the inclusion of more vulnerable people in the programme.

(NAN)