DO NOT INTIMIDATE NSIP BENEFICIARIES — MINISTER WARNS INDEPENDENT MONITORS
REPORTER: CHUKWUBUIKE MADU
Newly engaged Independent Monitors for the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) have been cautioned against intimidating beneficiaries of the various components of the programme.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Umar Farouq, gave the warning in a message to the training of 29 Stream 2 Independent Monitors engaged to monitor the programme in Ebonyi State, held in Abakaliki.
The Minister was represented by her Special Assistant on Administration Mr. Kingsley Ngene, who explained that the 29 new monitors would complement the efforts of 54 Independent Monitors engaged in 2021 to monitor the implementation of the Social Investment Programme in Ebonyi State.
The components of the Social Investment Programme they are to monitor are: the N-Power Programme, the Home Grown School Feeding Programme, the Conditional Cash Transfer and the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme.
Mr. Ngene, who announced plans by the Ministry to enroll additional 490,000 youths into the second stage of N-Power Programme, urged the newly recruited Independent Monitors not to compromise in their assignment.
Also, Ebonyi State Commissioner for Human Capital Development and Monitoring, Mrs. Ann Aligwe, who doubles as the Focal Person for the Social Investment Programme in the State, assured the Federal Government that the various components of the programme would be implemented to the latter, noting that those found wanting had been replaced.
Similarly, the Head of Unit, Conditional Cash Transfer in Ebonyi State, Mrs. Mercy Icha, while pointing out that 20,154 beneficiariecs were enrolled into the Programme in October 2020, happily said that additional 23,033 persons were recently selected to be part of the Conditional Cash Transfer in the state.
In an interview with Radio Nigeria, two of the newly trained Independent Monitors, Mr. Nonso Igwe and Miss Lilian Mbamara, pledged to discharge their duties diligently.
The Independent Monitors were presented with engagement letters, operational-guide documents and android tablets with which to carry out their assignment.
