From Francis Nansa, Lafia
Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State government on Wednesday flagged off the second phase training of Enumerators and Community Based Targeting Team (CBTT) to build a social register for Federal Government’s Social Intervention Programme (SIP).
The programme earmarked for seven Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state was flagged off in Lafia.
The training is being handled by the Nasarawa State Operations Coordinating Unit (SOCU) in collaboration with National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) and the state government.
Governor Sule, recalled that Nasarawa State domesticated the Social Investment Programme (SIP) with a view to addressing unemployment and improving the living conditions of the poorest citizens as a means of tackling the pervasive poverty prevalence in the State.
He said ” I am happy to note that six (6) selected Local Government Areas in the State benefited from this benevolent gesture, geared towards improving the living condition of the poor, as well as accelerating the economic growth and development in the State and the country at large.
“I am also aware that since the inception of the Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme, few pilot states had already developed their social registers of the second phase, which will facilitate the implementation of the programme.
Today, we are gathered here to flag-off the second phase of the Community-Based Targeting training,as i believe that, if properly harnessed, the exercise will go a long way in underscoring the importance of the Social Intervention Programme in eradicating poverty in line with the policy thrust of the APC Administration” He said.
Governor Sule however charge the participants to live above board in ensuring thatthey pay particular attention and internalize the lessons of the programme,saying government accords high priority to this segment of the Social Intervention Programme owing to the fact that the Conditional Cash Transfer touches the lives of the very poor in the society.
Also in a separate interview,the senior special assistant to the governor on Humanitarian,Hon Imran Usman Jibrin,said the essence of the programme was to fished out the vulnerable and poorest of the poor in the society.
According to him, one of the platform in achieving the success of the exercise was through the Cash Transfer programme which already there are about 48,000 people from 6 LGAs that had benefited in the state.
“As we speak ,there is additional of over 50,000 and we are targeting to enrolled 100,000 vulnerable and poor citizens of the state by the end of this year.
“Also we have secured approval for the remaining 7 Local government areas,which the governor Engineer Abdullahi Sule has magnanimously responsibility for the training of about 158 staff” Imran stated.
The senior special assistant, also reacted to the issue of prudence and transparency,saying some measures have been put in place that which involved the commitments of community leaders.
He also said they are working towards having a system where nobody can interfere with the names of those registered in the state.
