CSOs Demand Immediate Reinstatement of Social Investment Programs to Combat Hardship in Nigeria

In the face of mounting economic challenges and widespread hardship in Nigeria, the Coalition of Civil Society for Good Governance (CCSGG) has urged the Federal Government to immediately lift the suspension of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).

The call was made during a press conference in Abuja on Monday, emphasizing the urgent need for intervention to alleviate hunger and poverty affecting the nation’s most vulnerable populations.

The NSIPA, which operates under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, offers essential programs such as N-Power, the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), and the Home Grown School Feeding Programmes (HGSF).

These initiatives are designed to provide relief and support to vulnerable groups, including children, youths, and women, during economic downturns.

With the six-week suspension on the agency having expired, leaving many Nigerians yearning for its reinstatement, the CSOs have called for swift action to prevent further suffering among vulnerable groups.

The coalition has criticized the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, for attempting to transfer the NSIPA and its programs to the finance ministry based on information from a leaked memo.

The CSOs highlighted that the finance ministry has not shown the capacity to efficiently manage these programs, which would be a grave mistake.

The coalition painted a picture of an economy mired in complexity, with insecurity and power supply issues threatening to plunge the nation into a deeper crisis.

Addressing other aspects of the economic crisis, the group linked the sharp rise in insecurity to poverty and hunger, emphasizing the importance of providing basic needs for Nigerians in the short term.

The coalition urged the federal government to intensify non-kinetic methods of engagement in combating insecurity, expand recruitment for various security agencies, and develop plans for establishing state police in accordance with global best practices.

On the issue of power supply, the coalition stressed the negative impact of inadequate electricity on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), urging the government to ensure fair tariffs and reliable power distribution to stimulate economic growth.

As Nigeria navigates these difficult times, the coalition called upon all Nigerians to maintain their calm and actively engage with the government, as it is their duty to deliver the good governance they earnestly seek.