Government targets 70% of Nigerians in social intervention scheme

The Federal Government has said that no fewer than 70 per cent of Nigerian population will benefit from its new social intervention programmes aimed at alleviating poverty among the citizens.

Minister for Women Affairs and Social Development, Senator Aisha Alhassan, disclosed this yesterday at a town hall meeting she held with women groups at the House of Chiefs, Agodi Secretariat, Ibadan, during her advocacy and sensitisation visit to Oyo State on Government Enterprises and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) and National Women Empowerment Fund (NAWEF).

She said each beneficiary would have access to get a non-interest loan of between N10,000 and N100,000, repayable in six months with one month grace after disbursement.

The loan, she said, could only be accessed through membership of registered associations, co-operative societies, trade or other organisations.

Alhassan, who noted that sanctions had been put in place for defaulters, said: “My ministry has the mandate to cater for the welfare and well-being of women, children, the aged, people with disabilities, the vulnerable and distressed persons who together constitute about 70 per cent of the Nigerian population.

“The present administration, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, has put together a social investment programme of five pillars, which include the home-grown school feeding programme, the conditional cash transfer programme, the job creation programme called N-Power, the student bursary programme known as STEM and the GEEP.”

Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi, represented by his deputy, Otunba Moses Adeyemo, who earlier received the minister during her courtesy call at his office, said: “We are glad to note that the visit is basically to intimate our women with the Federal Government social investment programme called GEEP and NAWEF.”

He said he was optimistic that the visit of the minister would ease and enhance the state government’s access to the GEEP and NAWEF intervention programmes as soon as possible.