Federal Government of Nigeria has announced that almost two million Nigerians, totaling 1,940,004 individuals, are currently receiving a monthly cash allowance of N5,000. The disclosure was made by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, at a One-Day Stakeholders’ Retreat On National Social Investment (Establishment) Bill organized by Senator Yusuf Yusuf, APC, Taraba Central led Senate Committee on Special Duties in Abuja. The Minister explained that the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) was created in 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari to address social and economic inequalities and alleviate poverty among Nigerians. The objective of the National Social Investment Programme Establishment Bill is to provide a statutory and institutional framework for the implementation of the NSIP, which includes four social support programs aimed at empowering the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians to enable them to attain an acceptable standard of living. Since the inception of the NSIP in 2015, one million youths have been empowered through the N-Power Programme, and an additional 500,000 are currently undergoing various trainings under the program, as approved by the President. The cash transfer program has enrolled 1,975,381 poor and vulnerable households from the National Social Register into a National Beneficiary Register, which alone has 9,841,700 household individuals across the 36 states of the federation. The Cash Transfer support is aimed at improving consumption and developing savings skills among the poor and vulnerable to reduce the poverty line and build their resilience to withstand shocks. A total of 1,940,004 beneficiaries are currently receiving the cash transfer allowance each month. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Nasir Sani Gwarzo, represented the Minister at the event.
