Managers of National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) in the Northeast region of the country have lauded the Federal Government for the Programme for lifting millions of people in the region out of poverty.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, the managers explained that the implementation of the programme had impacted positively in the lives of the people in the zone.
Ms Mary Yuwadi, the Acting NSIP Focal person in Adamawa said, the programme had impacted in the lives of the graduate and non-graduate beneficiaries.
“The NPower has components like N-Teach, N-Heath, N-Agro and many others. The beneficiaries are doing well. Some have poultry farms and some are now financially stable that they sponsor the education of their younger ones.
“The School Feeding Programme has led to high number of enrolment among children into primaries one to three. Also, livelihood of the poor has been enhanced by the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT).
”We want to thank the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Hajiya Sadiya Ummar Farouq for the programme. We shall remain committed than ever before to the over all success of the programme,” Yuwadi said.
Mr Idris Goje, the State Secretary of NSIP in Taraba, said the programme had a lot of success stories in the state.
“The beneficiaries were posted to schools, primary healthcare centres and Taraba Agricultural Development Programme, where they put in their best and everything is okay now unlike when there was no NPower.
“The NPower Programme has contributed to the reduction of crime rate in the state. Most beneficiaries now have their own automobile workshops, farms and other business.
“On the CCT, some poor people that could not boast of N100 before are now being paid N5,000. Most of them have put the money into good use and are now helping other,” Goje said.
He appreciated the Federal Government and urged it to ensure sustainability of the programme.
Similarly, Malam Muhammed Musa, the Head of N-Power in Bauchi said that the state had benefited from all the components of the NSIP since 2016.
He said that over 15,000 youths both graduate and non-graduate had benefited from the programme.
“Over 8,000 N-Teach participants were able to cover the gap of lack of teachers in the state.
”The N-Health and others have impacted positively in the entire staye. Since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, this is the only Programme that touches the lives of the youths positively in the country,” Musa said.
NAN reports that success stories were also recorded in parts of Borno that has been suffering from insurgency for some years now.
Some of the beneficiaries, who spoke to NAN, said that the programme had brought succor to them and their families.
A beneficiary, Mr Adamu Ahmed, from Adamawa said that it was from the programme that he was able to establish a patent medicine store and also got married to his wife, adding that he was now a proud father of one.
Imran Adamu, a beneficiary of the N-Health component of the NPower from Gombe said, from his stipends of N30,000 monthly, he was able to save N480,000 and used it to start operating a chemist shop.
Other beneficiaries, Mrs Jamila Ooye in Taraba, Mr John Moses in Maiduguri and Malam Muhammed Chiroma in Yobe appreciated Buhari and Farouq for the programme.
According to them, their lives and that of their loved ones have changed for the better and are out of poverty compare when the the programme was not in existence (NAN)