The federal government has commended the Zamfara State government for prioritising the poor and vulnerable in its development agenda.

The state also got a commendation for implementing the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme.

Abdulkarim Obaje, the national coordinator of the Federal CARES Support Unit (FCSU) of the World Bank-assisted NG-CARES programme, made the commendation in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Obaje spoke against the backdrop of the federal team of NG-CARES’ implementation support mission and advocacy visit to Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara.

According to him, the state is one of the country’s highest funders of NG-CARES activities.

The national coordinator noted that the N2.6 billion budget support the Zamfara State government injected into the NG-CARES programme yielded positive results.

He praised Mr Matawalle for personally monitoring the implementation of NG-CARES in the state, adding that the state would benefit more when they injected more funds into the programme.

Mr Obaje explained that investing in the programme had a double positive impact.

“Not only will state governments who invest in the programme get additional funds in return from the NG-CARES programme, but more poor and vulnerable citizens would also have been impacted positively.

“What Governor Bello Matawalle is doing with NG-CARES is automatically supporting President Muhammadu Buhari’s government‘s vision of lifting 100 million people out of poverty within ten years.”

Responding, Mr Matawalle re-stated the state government’s commitment to alleviating poverty in the state.

According to the governor, such development programmes have a positive impact not only on the economy of the state but also on security.

He stated that the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), which initiated the NG-CARES programme, would continue to support its implementation.

(NAN)