The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, says $1 billion is being earmarked annually for the Social Investment Programme (NSIP) by the federal government.

Ms Farouq said this during the flag-off of grants for vulnerable groups and digitised cash transfer payment on Tuesday in Osogbo.

Represented by the ministry’s permanent secretary, Nasir Gwarzoh, the minister said more than 12 million households had benefited from NSIP interventions in the last five years.

“Let me use this opportunity to inform us that over 12 million households have benefitted from NSIP interventions in the last five years.

“Out of this number, Osun State has 18,731 N-Power beneficiaries under Batch C1.

“Also, 15,908 households receiving monthly cash transfer of N5,000.00 and 95,983 Primary 1-3 pupils receiving meals prepared by 1,940 cooks, all in Osun State,” she said.

Ms Farouq said that President Muhammadu Buhari had continued to pay more attention to promoting the plight of the poor and the vulnerable since his assumption of office in 2015

She described NSIP as a strategy for enhancing the social inclusion of the country’s poorest and vulnerable groups.

This, the minister said, was consistent with the national target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within 10 years.

“A cash grant of N20,000 will be disbursed to the poor and vulnerable category across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“In line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s social inclusion, 70 per cent of the total number of beneficiaries is for women, while the remaining 30 per cent is for the youth,” she said.

(NAN)