By Correspondent in Jalingo
The Federal government has enlivened life at the grassroots by distributing N5 million to 250 rural women in Taraba state.
Hajia Sadiya Faruq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, made the disbursement in Jalingo inaurating special grant for rural women in the state.
The minister was represented by Mr Garba Hanawiga, Director of Legal Services in the ministry.
Faruq said that the special cash grant programme was introduced in 2020, by the ministry, as part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration poverty reduction agenda of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
She added that the programme was one of the numerous social interventions of the Buhari administration aimed at uplifting the most vulnerable groups in the society out of poverty across the country.
According to her, the federal government has enrolled 17,803 vulnerables under its conditional cash transfer program in Taraba.
The minister said: ” Since inception of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2015, the government has paid more attention to the plight of the poor and vulnerable persons in the country.
” This informed the decision to initiate the National Social Investment programme and the strategy for enhancing social inclusion of the most vulnerable persons in our communities.
” And this has impacted positively on the lives of the poor and vulnerable people since it’s inception in 2016.”
She, however, said that that the state had received a total payment of N2.8 Billion since the inception of the programme in the state with
Ardo Kola, Gassol, Lau, Karim Lamido, Wukaru, Takum, Bali, Ibi, Ussa, Gashaka and Sardauna Local Government Areas as beneficiaries.
The Governor of the state,Arc. Darius Ishaku, represented by the Commissioner for Special Duties and Humanitarian Affairs, Mr Teninga Binga commended, the Federal government for it’s efforts to reduce poverty in the country
The governor,who disclosed that the state had also designed some interventions to empower the poor and the vulnerable in the state., urged beneficiaries to make good use of the special grant.
Mrs Helen Ishaya, one of the beneciaries of the programme, from Bali LGA,commended the Federal government for the support, promising to invest the money into groundnut oil business.
Her colleague, Mrs Halima Idris, who hails from Gassol Local Government Area also lauded commended the Federal government for the gesture, saying that she would invest the money in vegetable business.
Our correspondent reports that each beneficiary went home with N20,000.
