The social intervention programmes of the Buhari presidency, for which about half a trillion naira has been proposed in the 2016 budget, is not a one-off scheme, but a combination of several well-thought out programmes emphasising direct connections with the extremely poor and the needy, among other categories of the masses of this country.
This explanation was offered on Sunday, by the Senior Special Assistant Media and Publicity in the Office of the Vice President, Mr Laolu Akande, during an interaction with the press.
According to him, the plan of the Buhari presidency is not only comprehensive, but has taken care of some of the factors that led to the failure of previous poverty alleviation schemes put in place in the past.
“One of the major differences here is that the social intervention programme such as the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), would be a direct transfer of N5000 monthly to the extremely poor among us. And this is a safety net that several advanced nations have put in place long time in their history often at times of economic challenges.”
“The money would be paid directly to the people concerned on the condition of school enrolment and immunisation. “This way we are expanding school enrolment and also assuring physical well-being.”
Besides, that he explained that the School Feeding Programme, which is another aspect of the social intervention programmes is going to be entirely home grown, unlike previous Federal Government plans in the past which relied on importation.
He said the “Home grown school feeding programme” will commence in public primary schools in the new year, providing adequate nutrition to school children, promoting local farming, boost agriculture and create jobs and wealth locally.
“We have experts working in the presidency, collaborating with experts from global bodies, who together bring to bear international best practices working on how best to implement these programmes.”
“I can tell you that no sooner President Buhari resumed work that many of these experts have been meeting and planning on how best to implement these plans. We are not talking here of something hurriedly put together or a programme where some consultants would take the huge chunk of the resources.”
Also, as part of the half a trillion naira to be spent, there is in the budget proposals, a provision of no fewer than one million jobs in 2016, including 500,000 graduate-youths to be engaged as teachers and another 500,000 non-graduate unemployed people who would be trained as artisans, making a total creation of about one million direct jobs.(TRIBUNE)
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