Foluso Okunmadewa, the World Bank task team leader for Nigeria’s COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES), says the programme is on the right track in supporting the poor and vulnerable groups.

Mr Okunmadewa stated this on Monday in Abuja at a ministerial town hall meeting on the NG-CARES programme with stakeholders, states and the FCT officials as well as beneficiaries to obtain and document information on achievements and challenges from direct beneficiaries.

“We are actually very proud and, of course, excited to be part of this ministerial town hall. We are quite happy when the minister of state, budget and national planning, indicated that it is not only good to claim that there are results,” he stated. “Even though it was done by an independent verification firm, it is also important to hear from the beneficiaries and particularly to do so in the presence of those who are in charge of delivering the results.”

Mr Okunmadewa revealed that the World Bank was prepared to extend the closing date, which would be concluded in the next week and, according to him, will allow the states to repurpose their resources apart from the ones they have earned in the direction of other shops as well.

“It was not only COVID-19, we now have some other shops, and fortunately, the programme is designed in such a way that it can always help the state to respond to any vulnerability such as the one that happened recently on the flooding which affected a substantial number of states,” the World Bank official explained.

The NG-CARES national coordinator, Abdulkarim Obaje, said the programme was a multi-sectoral intervention designed to immediately relieve the poor and vulnerable Nigerians suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Obaje explained that the programme was a $750 million facility from the world bank that should be implemented ordinarily for two years. According to him, the programme covers two results areas.

Mr Obaje said it was on record that the World Bank directors approved the NG-CARES programme on December 14, 2020, and the Federal Executive Council approved the loan request on April 14, 2021.

“And just within a span of one week thereafter, the National Assembly approved it on April 21, 2021. This emphasised the urgency for this intervention at that critical time,” he stated.

The national coordinator commended the minister for his unwavering support towards the programme’s success.

Also, the minister of state, budget and national planning, Clem Agba, assured that the views and contributions of stakeholders and beneficiaries would be invaluable in government efforts to build a socially inclusive nation.

”We will not rest on our oars in reaching out to Nigerians. The President Muhammadu Buhari administration will continue to strive and deliver development to Nigerians even if it has only a few seconds to hand over to the next administration,” the minister stated.

(NAN)