Buhari/Osinbajo poverty reduction scheme impacts millions —Akande

By Chijioke Okoronkwo

President Muhammadu Buhari’s National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), an initiative aimed at reducing poverty across Nigeria, has impacted on millions of Nigerians, a presidential spokesman says.

The Steering Committee of NPRGS is chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

A media update by Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, on Friday in Abuja, indicated no fewer than 2 million vulnerable Nigerians were impacted by various projects implemented by the NPRGS committee for the year 2022.

Akande said millions of Nigerians were impacted in agriculture, rural roads construction and skills and vocational training in less than a year of operations.

He recalled Osinbajo had at a meeting with committee members, affirmed that the  Buhari administration was committed to lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.

The spokesman said that the vice president had explained that it would not be a business-as-usual approach, but a very simple, common-sense strategy that would deliver the results as the president promised.

“Findings indeed show that about 1.6 million smallholder farmers were impacted under the Agriculture for Jobs Plan alone, while 13,000 youths have been trained under a Technical and Vocational Education and Training programme in six states.

They comprise Lagos, Ogun, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna and Nasarawa, while arrangements are underway to provide similar training for 2,000 beneficiaries in Edo.

“Equally, more than 8,000 Nigerians were employed in rural roads construction under the Rural Roads programme which built 40 rural roads in 120 communities, covering about 57.3 km across the country.

“Some of the programmes that have achieved 100 per cent completion for the 2022 cycle include: Agriculture for Food and Jobs Plan (AFJP) and Construction of Rural Roads.

“A total number of direct beneficiaries of the implemented programmes currently stands at 1.8 million  vulnerable Nigerians and a total of 9,527 Nigerians have also been directly employed through the implementation of the programmes so far.”

Akande said the steering committee, at its last meeting of the administration, approved N250 billion for the execution of projects for this year running.

He listed some of the projects scheduled for implementation under the NPRGS for the year 2023.

They included provision of 100,000 homes for low-income earners which will create 1 million jobs directly and indirectly.

Also the expansion of energy access by providing 1,200 solar street lights in rural communities and 6 mini-grids for high-capacity productive farming under the Solar Naija Programme was listed.

“Creation of 4.5 million direct and indirect jobs through the Rural Roads programme which targets to connect about 750 rural markets.

“Provision of N9 billion support for over 1.6 million vulnerable smallholder farmers for the 2023 wet season farming under the Agriculture for Jobs Plan.

“The expansion of the National Social Register with additional three million households,’’ he said.

Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa,  who is also the co-chair of the Technical Working Group for the committee, had in an interaction with State House correspondents recently, expressed optimism on the success of the programme.

Sule had said that in spite of challenges and issues associated with transition of governments, efforts were underway to touch each of the targeted areas of implementation.

Members of the NPRGS Steering Committee include Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chief of Staff to the President.

Others are Governor of Ekiti State (South West), Governor of Delta State (South South), Governor of Sokoto State (North West), Governor of Borno State (North East), Governor of Nasarawa State (North Central) and Governor of Ebonyi State (South East).

Ministers of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development are members.

Others are Agriculture and Rural Development, Industry, Trade and Investments,  Labour and Employment, Education and Health are also members.

(NAN)