President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime says it has spent more than N18 billion on more than 183,193 beneficiaries of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) in Niger.

Amina Gu’ar, the focal person of the Social Investment Programme (SIP) in Niger, said this during a road walk to showcase the impact of the programmes in Niger in Minna on Saturday.

She said more than 80,000 households were benefiting from Conditional Cash Transfer, 14,000 beneficiaries of school feeding, 25,888 beneficiaries of N-Power and 62,112 beneficiaries for GEEP across the state.

Ms Gu’ar also said the programmes had impacted positively by improving the living condition of the poor and the vulnerable across the state and the country at large to become self-sufficient.

She appreciated the president for the initiative and Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello of Niger for his support, and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, for spearheading the programmes.

In his remarks, Nasir Gwarzo, the permanent secretary Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, represented by Abubakar Sadiq, lauded the Niger government for successfully implementing the programmes.

Similarly, Umar Shaba, the state programme manager of the school feeding programme, noted that Niger had been adjudged best in the successful implementation of the school feeding programme across the country.

Bilikisu Idris, one of the beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer, said the intervention had helped her to enrol her children in school as well as used the stipend being paid to her to purchase a sewing machine to start a business.

“I have been a beneficiary of the programme for the past three years, before, I was finding it difficult to live, but with this intervention, life has become easier for me and my family,” she said.

Another beneficiary of the N-Power, Sani Idris, said he used the monthly stipend paid to him to sponsor his younger brothers to universities as well as open a shop to start up a business.

Also, Talatu Suleiman, a food vendor, appreciated the federal government for the initiative, adding that the intervention had helped her to send two of her children to university.

(NAN)